Olympians At Heart
by Nehszriah
Summary: AZ, GL A fiction about Seiryuun going to the Olympics and the adventures along the way. OCness is unavoidable, as well as character straying for plot only. Please R&R! It's good story, I swear!
1. Ichi

Huzzah! The Nez-chan has begun another Slayers multi-chapter! -dances- As warning, I do not own Slayers (that goes to some guy(s) over in Japan), other things that I know you can sniff out that I put in there to honor... and, well, umm, yeah. Now sit back, relax and grab your sports encyclopedias kiddies, it's gonna be a crazy one.

* * *

**Olympians At Heart**

Ichi

Gourry Gabriev closed his eyes and took in the surrounding chill of the air. He could smell the aging leather that his practice gear was made of. His palms sweated in the cozy gloves he wore. He could hear the coaches, his fellow teammates, everyone focused on the practice. Getting impatient, he slid back and forth on his skates, trying to keep his edge.

Suddenly, the coach's whistle blew! Gourry snapped his eyes open and skated forward at full speed. He caught a puck on his stick and rocketed towards the goalie. A short ways before the blue goalie's crease, he stopped suddenly. A shower of ice flew from his skate blades as he shot the black puck forcefully at the goalie.

Damn. A save. Always a save when number 79 was in net. Gourry did not mind too much though, for he got past the other goalies.

"Gabreiv! Good job!" the coach said with gusto. He stood out on the center of the ice, twirling his whistle and his pot belly rolling as he laughed.

"I did not get it in though," Gourry sheepishly replied.

"Nonsense! You are the best ice hockey player in the world and nothing can change that!" The coach patted Gourry hard on the back, right on the big 38 his practice jersey donned.

"Fine Coach," Gourry sighed. With a doubtful feeling on his mind, he set off towards the locker room to change. Practice could wait until the next day.

_Coach is pushing us too hard_, he thought. _Sure, this is going to be Seiryuun's debut at the Olympic games, but he has to let us relax a small bit._

"Hey Jellyfish-kun!" someone shouted out. Gourry looked to see the goalie who blocked his shot, number 79, Zelgadis Graywords. With his helmet off, Gourry could see the man's grey skin was covered in his own sweat from practice.

"Why does everyone have to call me that?" Gourry whined as Zelgadis came into the locker room main to change out of his practice gear. Zelgadis just laughed and started to unstrap his bulky shinpads.

"Why does everybody have to call me 'Stone Wall Graywords'?"

"You block every shot that comes at you."

"True."

"I'm not a jellyfish though!"

"Dude, all you are good at is playing hockey. Just shut up."

"Look who is in a chipper mood this afternoon."

"Actually, I am," Zelgadis said. At this point, he was down to a towel and walked over to the showers so that he did not leave the locker room smelling like a wet dog.

Gourry glared at the not-himself-happy chimera as he disappeared behind a wall. Zelgadis was his best friend, and had been his best friend for a long time. Most of the time it was Gourry who was the cheerful one and Zelgadis the grump, yet lately it had been the other way around. It had all began when the team's manager, Amelia del Seiryuun, told everyone that the country of Seiryuun was accepted into the 2006 Turin Olympics, the first ever for the small mountain nation. It was all that was possible to scrape together teams for bobsledding, skiing, figure skating and the other random events, but putting a ice hockey team together was easy enough. There was already a national team that the country sent to relatively small tournaments, so the small, rough-and-tumble team had to prepare to take on big and powerful opponents like Russia, Canada and the United States Dream Team. All the pressure put on the players to do well had made Gourry depressed and tense, while Zelgadis laughed at his teammates' nervous tics.

"Zelgadis?" Gourry yelled over the shower water. "Am I really the best player in the world?"

"Now why would you say that?" Zelgadis asked, peeking out from behind the separating wall, soap suds settled precariously in his hair and on his shoulders.

"Everyone tells me I am the best. I want to know if I really am the best."

"Best forward and center on the team. I've got goalie covered though."

Gourry turned his head to glare down Zelgadis, who ducked back behind the wall to rinse off. Looking back into his locker, Gourry pulled out his street clothes and put them on. Dark blue jeans and an orange sweater were happily successful in replacing the plain white practice jersey and padding.

"Gourry, don't look," Zelgadis said as he came back into the main of the room. Gourry sat down with his back to his friend as he clothed himself.

"Am I really the best player?" he asked Zelgadis again.

"I do not know," Zelgadis answered. "Our league's players are a whole different game than the Olympics. We play part-timers, Olympians are professionals."

"That's what I was most afraid of."

"Hey, you knew that when you agreed to help represent Seiryuun," Zelgadis smirked, putting a hand on Gourry's shoulder as if they were not friends, but brothers. Gourry turned to see Zelgadis was dressed in his casual dark blue slacks and purple shirt, grinning sarcastically.

"Whatever, let's go," Gourry moaned. "I'm starved."

"You're paying though," Zelgadis warned.

"Yay! Food!" Gourry perked up. Zelgadis raised his eyebrow and followed his friend out into the hall. At least Gourry was still the peppy one when it came to food.

**80808080808080808**

Zelgadis and Gourry walked into the sports bar and sat down at the counter. No one really noticed them, for the regulars knew the other regulars and they went to the place often enough to be a regular, therefore being left alone despite their newly accumulated fame nationwide.

"Usual boys?" the bartender-waiter asked as he dried off a dish with his rag.

"We have a usual?" Gourry wondered.

"Yeah Chuck," Zelgadis answered, rolling his eyes at the baffled man to his left. Gourry was pretty dense in every area but eating and ice hockey. He did not even notice that he ordered the same thing every time he walked into the joint.

"You know," Gourry started. "I think I have been playing this game too long."

"Miya?" Zelgadis said, turning his head and making it clear he wasn't listening. He had been trying to concentrate on the television instead. There was an Australian footie game on and he really found it captivating.

"I have been playing hockey too long," Gourry repeated.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling, I guess."

"Well, I got in when I was eight." Zelgadis started to count on his fingers to keep track. "You came in when we were both eleven. Both of us have been playing on the same teams every year since... If anyone should be sick of playing hockey, it is me."

"Well, something seems like it is missing."

"Get a girl."

Gourry's left eye twitched.

"What?"

"Get yourself a girlfriend. That is the problem: you are horny."

"You don't have a girlfriend!"

"At least I've had one."

"Wait, I thought you and Elena were just friends, but you were dating her and now you broke up with her? Huh?"

"Yeah, well, we sort of did this mutual consent split. No hard feelings, just no more serious dates."

"They never were serious," Gourry grumped. "Too hard to tell if you guys were dating or not. How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Six... give or take..." Zelgadis said casually.

"We have been best friends since we were kids, we have the same job, we play the same sport, we share the same freakin' apartment and somehow... you've been dating and I did not know it."

"Dur. Those Friday and Saturday nights when I go out and then come back to find you passed out on the couch in front of the classic movie channel covered in potato chips, yeah, that is when I go out on dates."

"I feel so stupid," Gourry said.

"Well, you should... and your favorite movie channel is for old people. Hey, food's here!" Chuck the bartender put a plate down for each of the guys, both piled high with french fries and a really big cheeseburger. For a moment, Gourry forgot all about being depressed and wolfed down his food. Once it was all gone from his plate, he looked over at Zelgadis, who was taking his time and then remembered his gloomy state.

"Hey Chuck!" a random man by the dartboards yelled. "I think the news is on!"

"Ah! You are right!" he said, scurrying to find the master remote control for the televisions. He found it and all at once, changed the numerous television sets to FSN, just in time for the show. A man and woman news anchor appeared on the screen, looking confidently into the camera.

"Hello Seiryuun, I am Martina duZonoa and this is the Seiryuun Sports Report," the female anchor said.

"Hi, I'm Zangulus Zomoulgustar. Our top story today, the Seiryuun Olympic Committee has finally announced their whole list of people and teams that are to represent our country in the upcoming Olympic Games in Turin. The list was kept quiet to keep up suspense, but there was a feeling all across the land of who would end up on it."

"Yes," Martina cut in. "Here is some footage of the press conference, recorded earlier today."

Zelgadis chucked slightly in his soda pop. The woman now on the screen was the team manager Amelia del Seiryuun. She was on the country's Olympic committee as well as many other things, including being the country's heir to the throne. It was not really obvious at first glance, but Seiryuun still loved the ancient monarchy. Actually, it was not necessary to have the royal line anymore since the People's Council was formed a century before. Prince Phil and his daughter Princess Amelia though, were still loved as heads of the state, even if they tried to lead semi-ordinary lives complete with jobs and the renouncing of most royalty pleasures. Amelia had even gone to the local public schools as a child, befriending many of the citizens her age and developing average relationships with them, a rarity only achieved so far in Seiryuun.

"I, Amelia del Seiryuun, along with the other committee members have chosen the team we are to send to Turin for the Olympics. First in skiing is Filia Draconis, then..."

"That girl makes me laugh," Zelgadis snickered to himself.

"What about her? She's just our manager. Be nice."

"Chivalric as ever are we?"

"Why does she make you laugh?"

"Something... haven't figured out what yet."

"You like her."

"Do not! She's... royalty!"

"...point being...?"

"I hate you."

"Well, I hate you too, so there." Gourry stuck out his tongue and turned back towards the television.

"...and finally, our most anticipated set of athletes is our national ice hockey team, they Seiryuun Slayers, going to represent our country with the other participants." Amelia's voice cut off and went back to the news anchors.

"See, you made me miss the rest of the team," Gourry hissed.

"Shh! Talking!" Zelgadis whispered back, pointing at the television.

"In news related to the subject," Zangulus said. "The head coach of the national ice hockey team, Buck Lang, had resigned earlier today. He is to finish out the week and then the team has to find a new coach, only months before the Turin Olympics."

"Coach? Wha...! He did not seem like he was quitting at practice!" Gourry squeaked.

"Well, he is finishing out the week, look at it like that."

"Zelgadis, it is Thursday."

"I am trying to be optimistic for you, so shut up."

"I hate you."

"I hate you too."

"Go away."

"Fine, pay the bill. See you later."

"No, you pay. We agreed."

Gourry was not really feeling like listening. Zelgadis had pissed him off. Both guys were just not themselves and it was driving each other barmy. Gourry puffed away, ready to punch something and leaving the ashamed Zelgadis to pay the bill.

_Damn, I wonder who the new head coach is going to be? _Zelgadis wondered as he started back for home. He was about halfway to the apartment complex when he heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Hey! Zelgadis-kun!"

Zelgadis turned his head to see Elena, the mousy-haired girl who he had just ended a quite dull, in the perverse sense, relationship with. She jogged up to him and gave him a tackling hug, just like she did when they first met as children.

"Hey, I just heard the news about Turin. My family and I are very excited," she said. Zelgadis looked at the young woman with her pale green eyes and skin turning a rosy pink from the cold. Yes, Zelgadis knew that it had been definitely hard to break up with this one. Not only was she pretty, but into sports as well.

Hey, they were still friends, right?

"I will be sure to wave for you guys," Zelgadis said, laughing a slight bit. Elena just laughed harder.

"Did you not hear the whole list the Princess said?"

"No..."

"My brothers Carson and Daniel are assigned to the skeleton team! They are going to the Olympics as well! Harry is going as a snowboarder and Gabriel and Ian were recruited for the curling squad!"

Now, Elena had many brothers, the two older ones Carson and Daniel, a twin brother Frederick, along with four younger brothers, Gabriel, Harry, Ian and Jacob. Her whole family was highly sports-oriented and they all were very good at athletic events, particularly the winter ones. It really did take Zelgadis by surprise that Jacob the teen-speed-skating-wonder was not going to participate in the games. He truly thought the entire male sector of her family was going to go play sans Frederick, who was part of the national ice hockey team's managerial staff.

"I will look out for them then," Zelgadis said nervously. "See you later, I have to go!" He started off in a rush.

"See you before you go?" Elena yelled out.

"I'll try!" Zelgadis yelled back. He was glad Elena and him were friends. At least he knew there would be a rioting fan back home. Quickly, he returned to the apartment he and Gourry shared. It was small, but comfortable enough for the two guys to share. Zelgadis walked into the living room to find Gourry sitting on the couch, watching the original _Ocean's 11_ movie starring the Rat Pack.

"Well, if it isn't the lech, back from womanizing," Gourry growled. He paused the movie, freezing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin plotting their infamous casino heists.

"I did not see anyone," Zelgadis answered.

"Don't lie," Gourry said. "Oh, and there is a message on the answering machine that I think you might like to hear." Zelgadis grouched over to the telephone and answering machine and turned on the blinking device.

"_You have one message_," the metallic voice said. It was Elena's brother Frederick.

"Zelgadis, Gourry, I want you both at the rink's conference room tomorrow morning at ten sharp. It is about the new head coach. Nothing bad, just important. Dress nice. See you then. _End message_."

"What could be so important that we have to dress up?" Gourry muttered as Zelgadis made his way towards his bedroom.

"Maybe we get to meet the new one," Zelgadis said, making it sound even more obvious.

"I hope he does not smell like Coach Lang did," Gourry said randomly.

"...or yell like Coach Brakett did," Zelgadis laughed, recalling Bantam hockey from when they were younger.

"The high school coach... Coach Mickleson," Gourry added with a chuckle. "He drank a whole lot and we all knew it because he could not stand at the end of a losing game night."

"Yeah, well, I'm getting some sleep. Night."

"Night."

So, without even knowing it, their friendship was mended in less than a minute and things were back to the way it should have been, sarcastic Zelgadis and happy-go-lucky Gourry. Little did they know that as they slept... and passed out in front of the television... their lives were changing forever as one person flew into the city.

* * *

First chapter done! -meip- I hope everyone can find that... understandable. Now, some of you might be confused with references in this fiction, since they are quite all over the place. Actually, I am listing all references at the end of each chapter... like this:

**References/Parodies I Do Not Own So Please Do Not Hurt Me**

_The Olympic Games_- Ultimately, belonging to the Greek gods and Turin in 2006.

_Seiryuun Sports Report_- Parody of _Detroit Sports Report_, property of FSN (Fox Sports Network)

_Elena and her brothers_- The fact that they exist is an exaggeration of my brothers and me, except I am not a twin or one of eight, and their names are in alphabetical order, like the brothers in _Seven Wives for Seven Brothers,_ a really good musical.

_Ocean's 11 and the Rat Pack_- Yes, I like old movies, yes, _Ocean's 11 _with Brad Pitt was a remake and yes, Frank Sinatra and two buddies of his were called the "Rat Pack".

* * *

Right. Now since that is taken care of, please review. Tell me your thoughts! Give that input! Light them blowtorches! Arigato ne! 


	2. Ni

Chapter, chapter, second chapter... I REALLY WISH I OWNED SLAYERS, BUT I DO NOT! I own this fiction, don't touch. Ah, go ahead and touch it, just do not try to pass it on as your own. Otherwise, I shall eat you. -glares- Monkey fudge.

* * *

Ni

"I'm tired Zelgadis," Gourry whined as they walked up the stairs in the hockey rink, headed towards the conference room. They had both woken up an hour earlier than usual so they could get to the meeting on time. It seemed to work, since they were dressed nicely in suits instead of their usual, more relaxed attire.

"Oh, shut up," Zelgadis groaned. They reached the skybox conference room and casually walked in. There were not all that many people in the large, neutral-feeling room. Just Elena's brother Frederick, Amelia del Seiryuun, a short, smartly dressed red-headed woman and the team owner, Prince Phil del Seiryuun.

"Ah! You two are finally here!" Frederick exclaimed, his pale green eyes gleaming with excitement. "Come and sit down so that the meeting can get under way!" Zelgadis and Gourry sat down nervously.

"Where is the rest of the team?" Zelgadis asked.

"Not here, where else?" the red-headed woman scowled. She leaned back in her seat, looking like she would rather be somewhere else.

"Well, the rest of the team decided to let the both of you represent them all," Amelia said pleasantly. "They believe you will do well."

"What was this meeting about again?" Gourry asked absentmindedly. Zelgadis wanted to shrink and die at that comment, but opted to drive his heel into his friend's left shin.

"This meeting is over the new head coach position that has recently opened up," Prince Phil said. "In the name of all that is ice hockey, we shall gain a new coach soon!" The man was very passionate about hockey and it was not unusual to anyone else in the room to see him strike a heroic pose.

"Well, then what am I here for?" the red-headed woman said, leaning forward onto the table.

"You, Inverse-san, are our top choice for our new head coach," Amelia said happily. "We have reviewed your performance over the years and believe you to be the perfect selection. Your record is unmatched, methods perfect and exactly what we want. Besides, you are a fresh face to the big scene and this could make you an instant celebrity."

"Like a rich celebrity?" the woman asked, dollar signs clearly in her eyes.

_Geez, what a shallow woman_, Zelgadis thought. He rolled his eyes and let Frederick talk.

"Yes Inverse-san. Now there are some details that have to be worked out, but after those are cleared, you are the head coach." He looked over at Zelgadis and Gourry. "These are the player representatives, Zelgadis Graywords and Gourry Gabriev. Zelgadis-san, Gourry-san, meet Lina Inverse."

"Hello there," Zelgadis said gruffly as he stood up and shook Lina's hand. Gourry just sat there, staring at Lina's chest, marveling at how it could be so flat. "Just do not mind my teammate, he is still asleep. Can I see her records?" Frederick handed him a manila folder that had everything about Lina's coaching career inside.

"Zelgadis... I'm awake though..." Gourry whispered. Heel found shin once more as Zelgadis reviewed the folder contents out loud.

"Let me see... it is a slight bit unusual that you have been coaching since you were fifteen. Those ten years under your belt should prove useful though. You have an impressive record and a .750 win percentage... also good. Coworkers say you are fiercely determined and dedicated... it seems like you would make a fine coach for us." Zelgadis closed the folder and threw it onto the top of the table. "I give you a trial of five weeks. If you do not meet expectations, the team will not accept you and you shall fail your role as our coach."

"Fine," Lina smirked. "I will be the best head coach the Seiryuun Slayers have ever seen!" She grinned devilishly and gave the V-for-victory sign. Everyone, except the ever dense Gourry, sweatdropped, knowing that this was the effect of a over-inflated ego.

"You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" Frederick said. "Yes your resume is impressive, but can you prove to us that you can do everything it says? If so, then you are a coaching prodigy." He sent a sharp glance over towards Lina, who slightly cowered at the stare, proving the man had insane manipulation skills.

"I think she will be just fine!" Amelia said. "Come on Inverse-san, let us get you to your new office." She dragged Lina towards the door and out of sight, pausing only a moment to snatch a cardboard box from the corner of the room.

"This worries me you guys," Frederick said, removing a pair of reading glasses from his breast pocket and putting them on. He picked up the manila folder he handed Zelgadis earlier and started to look through it.

"What? From what we have gathered, this is one of the best coaches there is!" Phil said. "Are you saying she could be lying?"

"Not her or her papers, but something we are overlooking," Frederick muttered.

"I'm hungry," Gourry randomly cut in. The other three men glared at him.

"This is a serious situation," Zelgadis hissed. "If you cannot say anything constructive, say nothing at all."

"Okay..." Gourry sighed. He put his head down and tried to dream of food.

"Well then," Frederick said. "I guess that we just have to wait and see what arises, no matter how much it pains us."

**80808080808080808**

Amelia led Lina into a nice looking office space. There was a table and chairs and her own desk. Places where Coach Lang had put his personal belongings stood empty, ready to be filled.

_This looks like a good place to start_, Lina thought as she put the cardboard box down on the desk. She looked around, thinking about what she could do with the spaces.

"Do you like it Inverse-san?" Amelia asked.

"Please, just Lina. You do not wish me to address you as 'Your Highness', but why should I be the elder here?"

"Sorry Inverse-san. Forced habit."

"Amelia-chan..."

"Would you like me to help you unpack your things?"

Lina glared at Amelia. The Princess of Seiryuun was getting on her nerves. All she did though was sigh and open the box, allowing Amelia to take trinkets out and place them on the table.

"Inverse-san," Amelia said, taking a picture frame from the box. "Is this one of the teams you coached?" The picture looked fairly recent and slightly confused Amelia. The team was a bunch of children, none of whom looked over ten years old. In the center of the picture was a large trophy and the child on either side of it grinned excitedly as they gripped its handles.

"Yeah. They really did not want me to leave. I had been coaching them for a long time. Well, not the kids, but the team at least. It really was fun."

"You coached children?"

"Amelia-chan, did you think I started to coach college ice hockey when I was fifteen?" Lina chuckled. "Of course I have worked with children."

"Have you only worked with children?" Amelia was definitely worried now. Coaching ten-year-olds was vastly different from coaching full grown men. If Lina could not adjust, then everything would go down the toilet right then and there.

"Obviously! This is my first coaching job where the athletes are out of puberty! The closest I came to coaching a team like this is being assistant coach for a high school team. Do not worry though! I have everything under control!"

That was it. Amelia was not liking this situation. At least the player representatives gave her five weeks to prove herself. No, Zelgadis gave Lina the trial.

_Zelgadis_, she thought. Wait, back to the matter at hand. If Lina did not pass the month-long test, then she was gone. Then Amelia would have to go and find another coach. The Olympic Games would start in four months from that moment and the team was already at a handicap with their old coach gone. Seiryuun ice hockey was in such trouble.

"Amelia-chan," Lina said. "Did you guys not check the age level I coached or something? You seem a little worried."

"Oh, it is nothing Inverse-san," Amelia lied quickly. "I was just thinking about the busy schedule that is coming up for the Games. I am on the country's committee you know. In fact, I should leave for another meeting right now." Nervously, she backed out the door and left a confused Lina to finish unpacking her stuff.

Amelia nearly ran down the hall. She had to tell the others that Lina was a children's coach quickly. When she came to the door to the conference room, she tried to skid to a halt, but lost balance on her high heel shoes and fell to the ground.

"Princess! Are you alright?" Frederick asked as he and Zelgadis rushed out into the hallway. Prince Phil had left at this time and Gourry was happily asleep, dreaming of what a delicious breakfast scones and muffins would be.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said as Zelgadis helped her up. Once standing, she looked up at Zelgadis's face, only to see him blush a slight bit. Blood rushed to her face in return and she quickly looked at Frederick. "I think there might be a problem with picking Inverse-san as the new head coach."

"Why? What is the matter?" Frederick asked.

"She coached children before this," Amelia said with distress in her voice.

"So?" Zelgadis slightly laughed. "She had to start somewhere."

"No, she has always taught children. I doubt she ever went higher than ten-year-olds."

"Ten? We're not ten! Damn, that woman will not have a clue to what she is doing!" Zelgadis angrily sighed. He started to nervously pace around the room. "There are drills and plays she does not know and..."

"Calm down!" Frederick said, snatching hold of Zelgadis's arm as he paced by. "I will give her all of the old plays and such that Coach Lang left behind. Before the first practice, she should know what to do and what not to do."

"She better, or our chances of getting anywhere go right out the window!" Amelia moaned. "We are already handicapped by having a new coach..."

"Princess, I think we should trust Frederick. He seems to be formulating a plan in that odd skull of his," Zelgadis said, finally calming down. He looked over at Frederick and they both laughed.

"You are most definitely right," Frederick laughed. "I am going to take over if she is deemed incapable. You would not disagree to that now would you?"

"Yes, but how would Gourry-san feel about all of this?" Amelia asked, looking over at the snoring Gourry. Zelgadis went over to the blond behemoth and jabbed him in the side.

"Luke the Scone, you sure are tasty!" Gourry said in his sleep, reaching out and grabbing the imaginary pastry. "Maddi is a yummy muffin!"

"Now that... is disturbing," Frederick said. Zelgadis and Amelia were too taken aback to do or say anything. After a short while, Zelgadis nudged Gourry in the side until he fell out of his chair and onto the floor.

"I'm coming Elizabeth!" Gourry yelled out, still sleeping. Zelgadis kicked him in the rib cage, nearly sending the poor man across the room.

"Zelgadis-san! That is our best forward! If you just put him out of commission, I'll..."

"Don't worry your highness," Frederick cut in, shortening Amelia's lecture considerably. "I think if our Jellyfish can handle being checked into the boards at top speed, then he can certainly handle a swift kick, right Zelgadis-kun?"

"Exactly," Zelgadis muttered.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Gourry moaned as he got up off the ground.

"Who is 'Elizabeth'?" Zelgadis snapped. The last few disturbing moments had him a bit cranky and unlike himself.

"I don't know, who is she?" Gourry asked. Zelgadis, not wanting to lose his temper, just walked out of the room and down the hallway.

"Remember, practice is at two in the afternoon tomorrow!" Amelia yelled down the hall. She had a gut-wrenching feeling that these next four months would be one torturous ride.

* * *

Sorry that the conversations just went in a loopy-loop circle, but I really had to emphasize that Lina is actually under-qualified for the job. I actually see myself in Lina's position in the coming years when I apply for a job as a teacher. Like everyone needs to know that... Righty then! Enough of my ramblings! Review please! Arigato ne!

* * *

**References/Parodies I Do Not Own** **So Do Not Punish Me**

_Negotiation Meeting_- Sort of modeled after the meetings for the NHL during the lockout, where the players had representatives and such. I hated the lockout. -cries- I'm better now. I have hockey back. -grins-

_Scones and Muffins_- Inside joke between my friends and me. Guys are Scones and girls are Muffins. We are strange American children.

"_I'm coming Elizabeth!"_- This quote is heard in nearly every show of an old sitcom from the seventies called _Sanford and Son_, where old Fred Sanford was a widower who would think he's dying at least one scene per episode. The movie _Shrek 2_ parodies this as well.


	3. San

Huzzah! So The Nehszriah is now official. I am playing for my class's girls football team and put my pen name on the back. Yup... Nehszriah #79! I picked the number myself too! Now, on to my ice hockey homage of glory.

* * *

San

Lina Inverse was feeling very testy. Her first practice as head coach of the Seiryuun Slayers was twenty minutes away and she needed to get ready and what was going on, was not helping her any.

Lina had arrived at her office at around nine, wanting to settle in and wake up before anyone wanted to disturb her. She had some coffee and afterwards smoked a cigarette. She really was not fond of her habit of smoking, but she figured that one every now and then was alright. Just as she was finishing up, a woman burst into her office unannounced. The woman was young, dressed in blue jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt and eerily resembled one of the men from yesterday's meeting with her mousy hair and pale green eyes. She said her name was Elena Yerbinski and the stack of papers and clipboards she carried in with her were the plays and routines the previous head coach had left behind. The past few hours had been filled with Elena going on and on about the plays and lineups and every other possible thing Lina could imagine and it was driving her up the wall.

"Yerbinski-san," Lina said sleepily.

"Elena, please," Elena said, pausing her explanation of the Triple Blitz play.

"Alright. Elena-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Do I really have to know all of this?"

"Of course," Elena answered. "The Princess has named me one of your assistant coaches, so I can help you remember everything."

"Do I have any other assistant coaches?"

"Yes. There is my twin brother Frederick and then Xellos Metallium. I think that the four of us shall do well working together."

"Yeah, well we have to get going or we will be late," Lina said, getting up and walking out the door. Elena's pep had seemed to drain all life from Lina as they made their way down to the rink. There, all lined up on the ice, was the entire team ready in their practice gear and itching to get started with drills.

"Hello team," Lina said as she walked out onto the ice. It felt odd addressing these men as 'team', since the only teams she ever had to deal with were much younger than her. The athletes before her however were the same age as she was. Not a single player or coach was a day over twenty-eight, or under twenty, years old. This was a mixed blessing: plenty of youth, but little hope of professional experience.

"Now I want you all to know that I am very honored to be your new coach," she began. "It is definitely an privilege to have the trust of the manager and owner, for they believe I will be successful. I have, however, been told that you all, the team's athletes, shall give a performance review and that shall determine whether I coach you guys in the Olympics. I hope that everyone will try to see the best in me. Now, since I really am not too good at speeches... ten minutes of lines. Go!"

So the team sped off to skate up and down the rink, doubling back every once in a while, according to the painted lines on the ice. Quite pleased with herself, Lina walked over to the bench where Elena was waiting with Frederick and a man with purple hair cut in a very questionable manner.

"Inverse-san, this is Xellos Metallium, the coach in charge of defensive plays," Frederick said. Lina shook Xellos's hand, a slight bit wary about the new man's creepy smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Lina Inverse," Xellos smiled.

"I'm sure," Lina half-muttered. "Hey Frederick-kun, are you going to go about the offensive plays?"

"Yes. My sister gets to pretty much be your assistant and you oversee everything. You get to decide things like what plays we should and should not use, practice drills, lines and other things like that. You have to also make sure the team is in line..."

"...in line?"

"Yeah," Elena smiled. "You know, concentrating on doing their best and whatnot. It is your responsibility to make sure they give it their all." Lina smiled nervously in response. She knew she was not ready for this...

**80808080808080808**

After practice, the team was already sick of Lina. Her plays were too simplistic and childish, her drills were simply for the basics and it was clear that she had no clue to what she was doing. All practice she had the train of thought a children's coach would have, never going very complex. The team wanted a challenge and just were not getting it.

"Relax guys!" Frederick assured everyone in the locker room as they were changing. "We only have thirty-four more days of her!"

"Thirty-four more days of that idiot?" Willy Jones, a defenseman said. "That girl is positively off her rocker! I blame you three for this!" He pointed at Zelgadis, Frederick and Gourry with a mean look on his face.

"Now, now," Xellos said, cutting into the conversation. "There is no need to be hasty. I think she actually would do well, given time."

"Really?" Jones said. "So you actually do something all practice instead of smile blissfully, looking around the arena?"

"Why of course!"

"Yeah, what do you do Coach Metallium?" Goran Nerski, the team's backup goalie, asked through his Russian accent.

"Now that... is a secret!" Xellos answered. Nerski just scoffed and pulled on his sweatshirt.

"Where are your people skills?" Frederick whispered to Xellos.

"At home, under my bed. Too afraid," Xellos answered.

"Of what?" Frederick asked, knowing he was going to regret the answer.

"People."

With that, Xellos walked away and disappeared down the hallway. Frederick sighed, for he knew that with all of his strange quirks and uncanny ability to annoy, Xellos was just as bad to have around as Lina. The only problem was that there was a surprising lack of qualified people to be assistant coaches, so he knew Xellos could not be fired any time soon. He looked over at Zelgadis and Gourry, who were already dressed.

"No shower?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I barely broke out a sweat," Zelgadis laughed.

"Whatever," Frederick sighed. Then he walked out of the locker room, Zelgadis and Gourry following right behind him. At first he decided to pretend they were not there, yet knew that he could not ignore them forever. He walked out to the parking structure and once he got to his jet-black car spun on his heel to face the two teammates.

"What do you want?" Zelgadis smirked. Frederick just sighed and opened the driver seat door to his car.

"Are you two coming or not?" Frederick asked as he got in and started up the engine. Happily knowing they won a bit of a victory, Gourry took the seat on the other side of Frederick and Zelgadis hopped into the back seat. Laughing a slight bit, Frederick took off and drove into the hustle and bustle of the wintery city around them.

"So, where are we going?" Gourry asked absentmindedly. This teammate and assistant coach looked at him with disdain when they stopped at a red light.

"It's past five in the afternoon. Do you know what that means?" Frederick asked.

"He doesn't," Zelgadis answered just as Gourry opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes I do! Gourry retorted as the stoplight turned green.

"What is it then?" Zelgadis asked grouchily, slouching back into his seat.

"It is past seventeen o'clock!" Gourry answered.

Now if Frederick had not been driving at the moment, he would have fell down on the floorboards. "Not that!" he cried. "The bars are open!"

"Oh," Gourry said softly as Frederick pulled into a parking lot. All three men got out of the car and entered the oddly named bar, "Claire's Bible."

"You know," Zelgadis muttered to Frederick, "this bar could be useful to us in helping to get Gourry's mind off hockey and on other things."

"Like a girl?"

"Exactly."

Frederick and Zelgadis looked over at Gourry. The blond was looking at one of the walls, examining all the framed newspaper clippings about past games involving the Seiryuun Slayers. He seemed uninterested in the rest of the room, even the group of females at one end of the bar. Gourry seemed hyper-focused on sports, and only sports.

So thus Zelgadis and Frederick devised "Operation: Get Gourry A Woman." They both went up to the prettiest girls standing at the bar and asked them if they would spend the evening with their friend, even if it was to be spent in the barroom only. Three women volunteered to do so, as long as they could be Zelgadis's date for the rest night, but the goalie only blushed and claimed to be taken and only admitted to wanting a date for his friend. Upon hearing this, the three women shooed Zelgadis and Frederick away with an excessive amount of force.

"Get away from us you jerks!" the lone brunette said, thwacking Zelgadis roughly with her large and handbag. Zelgadis did not even try to block and nearly fell backwards into Frederick and an empty table.

"What did we do?" Frederick asked defensively.

"Geek-Boy, get away from us and take your persistent friend too," she answered. Now neither Zelgadis or Frederick knew how they became jerks, let alone persistent, and grouched out the door with Gourry, intent on finding another bar.

**80808080808080808**

"So, then why are we here again?" Lina asked as the odd girl called Elena dragged her down a hallway in an apartment complex. Right after practice Elena had whisked away Lina and brought here against her will.

"You'll see Inverse-san!" Elena said happily. She stopped at a door marked with the number 321 and knocked on the door.

"I'm coming!" a voice said, hidden on the other side of the door. When it opened, Lina found it to be Princess Amelia, smiling jovially and holding a wicked-looking cooking knife in her left hand.

"Hey there Amelia-chan!" Elena said happily.

"Hello Elena-chan!"

"What's the knife for?"

Amelia thought for a moment as her guests walked into the apartment and as Lina and Elena were taking off their shoes she walked over to the counter in her kitchen, looking over the half-wall that separated it with the hallway to the living room.

"Now we're ready to make fish!" she said amongst a fit of giggles, now brandishing a larger assortment of cutlery. A wide smile crept across her face as Lina's went blank.

"I am really sorry to say this about royalty... but are you nutters?" Lina asked.

"No Inverse-san," Amelia replied as she chopped up a tasty looking halibut. "Daddy calls it 'eccentricity'."

Lina sighed with grief. She sat down on a comfy chair as Elena went to go chat it up with Amelia.

Looking around, Lina found that the apartment that was inhabited by the country's heir was no more than the average apartment, usually occupied by one in the middle class, except when it came to the presumptuous family coat-of-arms on the wall above the electric fireplace.

"Sushi?" Elena asked, popping out of nowhere. Lina was so taken aback, that she nearly fell out of the recliner chair.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Would you like some sushi?" Elena repeated. Lina just shook her head in reply and left Elena to skip off back to the kitchen.

_Damn_, Lina thought. _I should have listened to Luna. I never should have left Manitoba for this place. Of course, I would never let anyone else know that, but she was still right..._

"I am just not cut out for this..."

Lina gasped as she realized that she said the last part out loud. With feline speed and quirkiness, both Amelia and Elena popped over to see Lina.

"Not cut out for what Inverse-san?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Lina muttered.

"Really, what is the matter?" Elena persisted.

"This is the time where we are friends Inverse-san. You can talk to us."

Lina sat there with the most saturnine of looks. These were supposed to be her co-workers, not her friends. Her friends were all back in Manitoba playing in traveling tournaments and still in elementary school. The only friends she had were the kids she coached, no one more than maybe, just maybe, a parent.

"I told you, it is nothing."

"We are friends! Talk!" Amelia demanded, demonically getting into Lina's face, scaring both her guests. After Lina whimpering a "yes" did the princess back down.

"I... I just do not think that I am cut out for this coaching job," Lina admitted quietly. "I did not want to tell anyone. The team already hates me."

"Don't be silly!" Elena flat-out lied. "They are just testing your self-confidence. I think that you are just fine." She patted Lina on the shoulder. "I know what will fix this!"

"What is that Elena-chan?" Lina asked, getting up out of the chair. She turned around, only to be met by the insane blades that Amelia was wielding only minutes ago.

"Sushi!" Elena smiled. Amelia jumped for joy, explaining how Elena was a fairly good cook, particularly with sushi and things like that. Lina just agreed and accepted the food, not exactly thrilled about having her lack of self-confidence exposed, yet she made up for that as the night went on. She had a good time with Amelia and Elena, both of whom were friends in elementary school. It pleased Lina to have friends. A spot that felt a bit hollow began to fill up. Not all the way, but enough for Lina to forget the criticisms of the athletes and truly relax and have fun.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own (or Want to Point Out) So Please Do Not Eat Me**

_Claire's Bible_: Clearly, a ploy on the "Claire Bible" of the anime.

_Seventeen o'clock_: That my friends, is called military time. Learn it. Love it. Live by it. Not enough people understand it, which therefore gives me basis to do this.

_Elena's enthusiasm_: Yeah, that's me... I just happen to be without the extensive knowledge of plays in real life.

_Manitoba_: Random enough place in Canada for me. Lina's from Canada. She's Canadian. I laugh at this. -laughs- BWHAHAHA! -pauses- Why am I laughing again?

_Willy Jones_: My teacher of English, who happens to be blessed with a highly generic name.

"_Now we're ready to make fish!"_: So the Nehszriah went to Washington D.C. and found in one of the museums, an exhibit all about Julia Child. The woman said this, grinning, holding many knives, whilst hovering over a decapitated swordfish. All must hail the French Chef of DOOM.


	4. Shi

Another chapter! I hope everyone is excited. This is going to be a short entry, but also important. I, repeat, do not own Slayers or any of the characters. I am just a crazed fangirl who just so happens to be able to write. I have many OC's in the fiction that are of my own creation, but the main characters are mostly not mine. Please do not eat me.

* * *

Shi

Lina Inverse and her coaching staff were creating absolute miracles, much to the surprise of the members of the Seiryuun Slayers. The once childish methods of Lina had greatly improved, showing that she was able to adjust for the situation at hand. Xellos kept on floating about the arena, only giving the defense direction when needed and Frederick and Elena truly earned their spots as offense coach and assistant. Team morale had gone up and everything seemed to be going swimmingly until a few days before Lina's trial was up. It was then when three defensemen, Willy Jones, Alexandre Tierski and Edwin Cay, along with Sam Penn (who played on offence), took a stand against Lina. Not one liked her from the very start and kept the same attitude against her ever since the first practice. Before their second-to-last practice before the trial was up, the four men were causing quite a commotion in the locker room, which lead to much arguing amongst the teammates.

"All I am saying is that she needs the experience of an Olympian to go to the Olympics... or at least have coached college hockey!" Jones yelled. "She coached children!"

"That does not mean that she did not try to improve herself!" Gourry argued. He seemed to be the one fighting for Lina the hardest, since he found it just plain rude to bad-talk women behind their backs.

"Yeah, we've all seen how far she's come," the center man, Jules McInnon, said. Even though he was the shortest man on the team, the Irish blood in him made him a fierce fighter, one that should never be messed with. Cay knew this as the man who was nearly a head shorter than him tried to get in his face.

"Will you all shut up? I am trying to relax a bit here," Zelgadis grumbled over by his locker, fully dressed in his practice gear and ready to go. He was one of the few to not be arguing over Lina's worth as a coach. The "Windmill Trio," composing of the Dutch-descendant Van Dyne brothers Lyman and Frank and their cousin Zach Zimmerman, were already out on the ice practicing their defensive drills.

"If you don't like it, go out to the rink and practice," Tierski snapped.

"Fine then, I will!" Zelgadis exclaimed loudly. "You all are idiots! Just plain idiots! One freakin' woman should not tear us up like this!" After his speech of resentment, Zelgadis huffed out onto the rink to join the others out there.

The locker room was deathly quiet once Zelgadis left. Usually, Zelgadis sat in a corner and would brood whenever there was a squabble that involved the whole team, but never did anyone think that he would scold them.

"See? That Inverse woman is getting to everyone, even Stone Wall there," Jones sneered, shoving Gourry.

"Shut up Jones."

"You shut up you jellyfish."

"No, you shut the hell up and say nothing more about Inverse-san!"

"Damn your chivalry. Such way of thinking died out long ago with dragon cuisine and magic. Why don't you and the coach get a room or something," Jones darkly chuckled. Gourry's patience snapped, causing him to jump forward to Jones in order to beat him senseless. Luckily for Jones, most of the other team members did not want Gourry to wail on him, so it took nearly all their might to hold Gourry back. It was a very uncalled-for comment, but the team still held back their raging captain.

"Take that back!" Gourry yelled. "That was very rude!"

"Like I care," Jones sourly laughed.

Disgusted, Gourry shook off the teammates that were restraining him and went to storm out of the locker. He could not believe that Jones was so cruel! He angrily burst out of the locker room and into the hallway, where he met a very teary-eyed Lina.

"What's the matter Inverse-san?" Gourry asked. He had never seen Lina cry before. She seemed so sad and afraid that it was unlike herself to appear this way.

"Nothing. It is nothing," Lina sniffled. It was a lie. She had heard every word that the team had said about her. She heard the innumerable times that her coaching ability was ripped to shreds and stomped into the ground. It was not like her to cry. She had taken on worse. No, only in her mind had she ever taken on worse.

"What is the matter? You are crying. Something has to be wrong."

"Allergies."

"To what? It is the middle of November."

"I don't know."

"Why are you upset? Did you hear the guys in there?" Gourry asked. Lina started a whole new round of tears and started out towards the rink so she could find Elena, but Gourry moved one of his strong arms in her path and blocked her exit.

"Let me leave," Lina cried angrily, trying her best to hold in the tears. She had felt so good about her job coaching too! It was the stupid trial. Now that it was almost up and her job nearly secure, it seemed as if Tierski, Jones, Cay and Penn would snatch it from her forever with their discontentment.

"Do not listen to them," Gourry said with the utmost seriousness emanating from his voice. His eyes narrowed into a soft, steely look, a look one uses when they want to confess things such as feelings or bring vital encouragement.

"Good, then I won't," Lina sniffed. She barged past Gourry and down the drafty hall towards the rink.

"Inverse-san," Gourry called out.

"What is it?"

"Since there is nothing wrong, according to you," he said while walking down the rubber floor with his skates, "would you like to go out to dinner tonight?"

"I... uh... ... sure..." Lina said, a slight bit hesitant to accept.

"Meet me at the hockey rink."

"Sure."

"Eight o'clock sound alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Lina blushed profusely, even though it was not clear since her face was already red from crying.

"Okay! Now it is time for practice!" Gourry said happily. He skated out onto the ice and found the Windmill Trio and Zelgadis practicing. Lina carefully followed him, staying hidden in the entranceway so that the men on the ice could not see her.

"Is that romance I smell?" Xellos asked, popping out of the blue. Lina jumped and looked behind her to see Xellos, smiling cheerily and holding the most random of potato chips in his hand and casually munching on them.

"What are you doing!" Lina yelled.

"Now that... is a secret!" Xellos answered before shoving another potato chip in his mouth. Infuriated, Lina went to smack Xellos, but in an instant, he disappeared, as if he were never even there.

"Is anything wrong Coach?" Frank Van Dyne asked, skating up to the edge of the hall entrance. Lina was still in her punching pose, a move that looked quite ridiculous with nothing there to hit but air. Lina slowly turned her head to look at the defenseman, a twitch in her eye.

"Go practice," she muttered. Frank Van Dyne just rolled his eyes, shook his head and left, happily checking his brother into the boards.

_Oh God, they think I'm nuts_, Lina thought. _This is just great._

**80808080808080808**

"So he asked you out?" Elena asked, a ring of shock in her voice. She and Amelia had been talking to Lina over at Amelia's apartment, just like they always did after practice. Lina laughed, seeing as Elena was hanging onto every word she said. Amelia though, was strangely absent, having disappeared into the recesses of her own apartment.

"Yeah, is that unusual?" Lina replied. "Well, an athlete dating his coach is a little weird I guess, but at least we are the same age and different genders."

"No, you do not understand," Elena said. "Gourry has never had a girlfriend, ever. Usually he just concentrates on hockey, barely leaving enough time for even friends."

"How do you know this?"

"I went to school with him, I dated his best friend... I work with the man for heaven's sake!"

"You know him well then," Lina asked after a short pause. Elena just nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and gave a sound that sounded a lot like a "nya."

"Huzzah!" Amelia cheered as she skipped out from the hallway that lead to her bedroom. She held something behind her back and was grinning profusely.

"What is it?" Lina giggled, highly amused with Amelia's bounciness.

"I have the new uniform for the team! It took me a while to find it among all the rest of my things, but I finally found them."

"Let us see then!" Elena prodded.

Amelia took from behind her back, a black ball of material, which she then unfolded to show that it was the uniform shirt. It was truly jet black as a main color, with a silver-grey on the edge of the sleeves and collar. It was Gourry's jersey, so it had a silver-grey "C" on the left shoulder to signify his being captain. On the chest there was a bright green "S" that had been lengthened at the ends and had action lines trailing from behind it, clearly signifying that the letter would be the country's insignia. The same green wrapped around the upper arm, the number 38 poking out in black. On the back there was a larger green number 38 and the name Gabriev right above it in the same bright green.

"_When _did you get these?" Lina asked, an eyebrow raised. To her, this looked more like a uniform jersey from a professional league, not the Olympic Games.

"Earlier today," Amelia said frankly. "The colors and things like that were decided only last week."

"Are those Seiryuun's national colors?" Lina asked, truly wanting to know. Nothing of that nature was told to her since she arrived.

"We don't really have any," Elena admitted, looking closely at the jersey. "Our ancestors were white magic users according to legend, having built the ancient layout of the city in the shape of a transmutation circle. They liked the color white, but that would kind of blend in with the ice, don't you think?"

"I guess," Lina sighed. She just sat back down on the reclining chair, it having become her favorite piece of furniture in the place. While Amelia and Elena fawned over the jersey, Lina closed her eyes. She only opened them up again when Amelia woke her up, saying that she was twenty minutes late for her date. Cursing, she ran out of the apartment building and over to the hockey rink, where Gourry was waiting patiently.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I hope everything is alright."

"Of course," Lina puffed, a bit out of breath from running. She smiled and sighed at him, entertained by the genuine look of concern on his face. It was good to have someone like that, who's feeling were true. Lina was Gourry's coach for long enough to know that he meant good in all he said and did from taking her down to the nearly frozen-over pond in the park for a picnic to accidently falling into the lake when he checked to see if it was thick enough to walk on. Three millimeters and three inches are just not the same thing.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So Please Do Not Disown Me**

_The Windmill Trio_: Me and my Dutch roots never really shut up.

_Zelgadis's nickname _"Stone Wall": This is referring to Confederate General Thomas "Stone Wall" Jackson, a fairly important leader in the American Civil War. My country's weird, I know.

_Dragon Cuisine_: Yes, just like that episode of Slayers NEXT where the gang end up helping some creepy old dude who has family members resembling each one of our heroes. Oh, how I could go on...

_Allergies_: The perfect excuse for crying!

_Xellos_: Well, he has to have his secretive line somewhere, right? The random potato chips are there because he was hungry. Popping out of thin air is hard work.

_That crazy uniform_: roughly modeled after uniform jerseys in the NHL.

_Seiryuun's lack of country colors_: I made that up with reference to the anime.


	5. Go

Nez-chan's back and she has come with a chapter! So this starts the nice, long-winded stretch of Zelgadis-story. I love that awesome ickle chimera. He is so emo-depressive. Alll right, story!

* * *

Go

The voice on the speaker system was very loud, so loud, it shook the eardrums of everyone around.

"...and here we have athletes from the tiny mountain country of San Marino. Hopefully, they will be luck enough to catch a medal in an event this year..."

"We're next Inverse-san!"

"I know that Amelia-chan."

"Aren't you excited!"

"I'm scared stiff, that's what I am!" Lina snapped. The last comment on the speaker system had been in Italian and was now being translated into various tongues for the masses to understand. They were at the Olympic Games in Turin, Italy; the very thing everyone in Seiryuun was looking forward to. The rest of the athletes and coaches were plain wretches filled with nervousness and excitement. Amelia was standing in the very front, holding the white flag that was emblazoned with the royal crest that stood for Seiryuun and wearing a long pink formal gown that had been popular in the courts right before the People's Council had emerged. Lina was right next to her, donning the standard black and bright green sweatsuit outfit that all the other people there were wearing.

"... and next we have the newest country entered in this year's Olympics, Seiryuun!" the voice on the speaker boomed. The only word that anyone understood was "Seiryuun," so everyone started to walk forward. Amelia proudly led the small mass of roughly one-hundred of her subjects, but all the while she was proud. Everyone was proud. Seiryuun was finally in the spotlight for all the world to see.

"This is so cool!" Gourry said in awe as he looked around the Olympic Stadium. He was snapping pictures and Frederick was right next to him with a video camera, filming every step. Both were very hyperactive and excited to the point of near fainting.

"If anyone asks, I do not know you two," Zelgadis muttered under his breath, feeling very stoic and back to his old self. Since Gourry started dating Lina back in November, he was as happy and airheaded as ever, allowing Zelgadis to go back to his pessimistic and gloomy attitude from before. He looked ahead in the crowd to Amelia and Lina, not really paying too much attention to his coach. A wan smile swept across his face as Amelia laughed. For some reason, he had not been able to get the princess out of his mind since the meeting over Lina taking the job of head coach for the team. That was when he had helped her up after she fell. It was a strange feeling what he felt for Amelia that had even compelled him to offer to treat her to lunch or dinner on a few occasions. His stomach climbed up his throat as she stopped in her place and playfully spun around the flagpole, her skirt billowing out modestly. He stopped with the procession as it joined the other countries that had been introduced.

From what he had heard about the other countries, Zelgadis silently distracted his mind by trying to analyze Seiryuun's chances of winning event medals this year. He could see Russia, with her legions of men and women who would live in an almost perpetual winter in some cases. They would be one of the toughest competitors. There were the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. They all had fierce teams and particularly the Norse and Finnish hockey teams were rumored to be tougher than nails. The United States of America was still a few spots away from being introduced, having some strong competition for Harry Yerbinski and the other three snowboarders, as well as the hockey team. Canada's team was feared by most members of the Seiryuun Slayers (on top of the Russian and American teams) as being the most serious. There was supposed to be a professional hockey league in North America that stretched from Calgary down to Tampa Bay and many athletes on those teams had taken time off to play for Canada, the Unites States or Russia. These were the people Zelgadis feared the most. He feared the professionals that played in North America, for they were the ones who would rip tiny Seiryuun apart. Even with the schism in the team over Lina coaching fixed and the team united once more, Zelgadis worried that even all of the teamwork in the world could beat these men. There were other teams around, such as Great Britain and Japan, yet the teams with the North American professionals were the most intimidating.

"Earth to Zelgadis!" Frederick laughed, waving his hand in front of Zelgadis's face, snapping him out of his daze. He looked up to see the taller Gourry and Frederick looking at him, trying their best not to giggle.

"What is it?" Zelgadis asked.

"What were you looking at?"

"Nothing Gourry."

"Princess Amelia is not nothing."

Zelgadis blushed a soft purple, the cold air playing tricks with his freezing blue skin and warm blood. He quickly diverted his eyes to the ground and started to play with a random pebble on the ground.

"I was not looking at her."

"Yes you were. Frederick and I saw you."

"Did not."

"Yeah right."

Zelgadis, Frederick and Gourry said nothing more, lest they might capture their conversation on camera. Their eyes wandered all around the arena, at the thousands of fans in the stands, the many nations blending in a singular place to become a singular Olympic spirit, at the spectacular Olympic Flame Ceremony as only the Italians could present it. After many hours, the teams were finally released and able to get some rest in the Olympic Village in preparation for the preliminaries, qualifying rounds and events.

"I'm beat," Gourry yawned. "I'm eating, then going to bed."

"I hear you there Gourry," Frederick replied groggily as they made their way to where they were staying. Zelgadis followed behind them, but was not very tired. He found the room that they were staying in, picked his bunk out of the four and set back out into the night.

It was very quiet in Turin. Zelgadis could hear things far in the distance, but nothing ever came close enough to be a bother. He guessed that wherever he was, it was usually some sort of campgrounds or hostel for young travelers coming to see the sights in Italy. Wherever it was, Zelgadis found it nice. He found a tree-lined path with benches on the side to sit. Content, he settled into one of the benches that was a short ways in. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, taking in the sharp, stinging cold air.

_Zelgadis could see himself. It was not himself as he was sitting on the bench in Turin, but an eight-year-old boy running to a park in Seiryuun. Bundled up and carrying a large gym bag on over his shoulder, he ran down the snow-covered lane in the park. He ran and ran until he came to a frozen pond. Children his age were all around. Groups of boys were skating on one end of the ice, passing some old rubber pucks between themselves. Many girls took up the other end with figure skating. A few children would just pass between sides, messing up a jump or tripping one on a break-away._

_Young Zelgadis put the bag down next to him and opened it up. There was his skates; brand new from Christmas! He took off his boots and began to lace on a skate. Once both ice skates were on, he took a baseball catcher's mask and an adult-sized goalie stick from the bag and went over to the kids playing hockey._

"_What are you doing here?" one of the boys sneered. Zelgadis knew that this kids was a grade older and much bigger than he was._

"_I want to play," he squeaked. "I can play my hardest! Please let me!"_

"_Get lost, freak," the boy laughed. His friends all laughed. Zelgadis was not very big for his age, which caused for scorn in such violent sports such as hockey. He also looked different. His skin was rocky grey and his hair gave off a steely sheen. No one could explain this to him, why such a thing had happened to him. His Grandpa Rezzo said that it was a curse set upon him and even though it was the most ridiculous solution, it always seemed to be the reason he came back to in the end._

"_Eat ice!" a girl yelled. The boy who taunted Zelgadis flew forward and nearly squashed the pint-sized goalie. He looked up to see a young female skater posing triumphantly as if she just slew a great demon._

"_What did you do that for!" the boy yelled as he got up and wiped frost from his face and clothes. "Do you have a problem?"_

"_Yeah, all he does is want to play! Why are you telling him he can't?" the girl challenged. Her long mousy braids flew as she snapped her gaze in the direction of Zelgadis's bully._

"_Look at him!" the boy said, pointing a gloved finger at Zelgadis. "Why would I want to play with that?" The boy spat on the ice and skated off to find a different pond to play hockey on._

_It was like a stab in the heart to Zelgadis. All he had wanted to do was play with them. Those boys did not have a goalie among them. He wanted to goaltend and feel the rush of the puck racing towards him at breakneck speed, the thrill of a save, the pure ecstacy of the game. It had now been denied. Denied by those boys who thought they were better because they all looked the same, were all bigger... because they all had friends._

"_Don't listen to them," the girl said kindly. "You can play with my brothers and me. My name is Elena Yerbinksi."_

"_I am Zelgadis Graywords."_

"_Nice to meet you Zelgadis. Let's introduce you to the Princess!"_

"_What!"_

_Elena then took Zelgadis over to meet six-year-old Amelia over on another part of the pond. The elder three Yerbinski brothers were there too and they all played ice hockey together until they were cold stiff, except Amelia who just watched. _

That day was just over sixteen years ago, when Zelgadis was eight and Frederick and Elena seven. It was then he found friends to play with and to have fun with. Time had to wait still three more years to let him meet Gourry while skating on the pond. Zelgadis recalled in his mind the years afterwards, especially high school when he and Gourry made the school hockey team and blew away the competition and old childhood bullies. Everything seemed better since he found friends. Now he and his friends were at the Olympics, making Seiryuun history.

"Zelgadis-san," a soft voice said. Zelgadis did not want to open his eyes, for her knew who it was.

"Yes Amelia?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"The day we met."

"That was a long time ago. I can barely remember it myself."

"Yeah, me too," he lied. Zelgadis sat upright and opened his eyes to look at Amelia. She had changed from the fancy dress she wore in the parade to now the same warm outfit he wore. Her hair was still curly from when the hairdresser put hot rollers in it for the parade. The makeup on her face was half-off, as if she tried to rub it all away but didn't quite succeed. She would look like a wreck to anyone else, but Zelgadis took and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go of his Amelia.

"What's the matter Zelgadis-san?"

"I..." He started to choke on his own words.

"You what?"

"I lov..." Zelgadis started, but then stopped himself. "I'm just cold. Sorry if I scared you." He let go of Amelia, who just smiled at him sweetly.

"It is alright. You really should not be out in this night cold though."

"Neither should you."

"Caught me."

They both laughed and turned on the bench so they were both facing the opposite side of the pathway. Amelia snuggled into Zelgadis's side to be warm and comfortable and he put his arm around her in return. Nothing was said for quite a while, until Amelia decided to break the silence.

"I really like you Zelgadis-san," she said.

"I really like you too. That's why I am dating you," Zelgadis laughed.

"Honest?"

"Honest."

They sat again in silence for a while, not really knowing how late it got. When Zelgadis began to feel sleepy, he woke up Amelia and they walked back to Seiryuun's sleeping quarters. Amelia went into the room she shared with Elena, Lina and a blonde skier named Filia and Zelgadis went to the room he was staying in, only to find that his bed had been snatched up by a snoring Xellos who was covered in potato chips. He grumpily laid down on the only unoccupied bed and fell asleep immediately, not even bothering to take off his clothes and drifting off into his beloved childhood reverie once more.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So Please Do Not Report Me To the Admins On False Charges**

_The Olympic Games_: I explained this before, the Nehszriah has no ownership of these games. I do know when they are! February 4-19. Starts on a Saturday, ends on a Sunday.

_San Marino_: I don't even know if they compete in the Olympics. They are just there and random because they come before Seiryuun in the alphabet.

_Russia_: All I know is that it can get reeeeeeally cold... and a rough historical outline of course.

_The Nordic Countries_: Yup. They're there. They exist. Russia did not swallow them up. Neither did Germany. They've both had enough of that. Poland on the other hand I hear is a bit hungry... (That was supposed to be a lighthearted jest, nothing mean or stabbing. Don't hurt me...)

_The USA_: Yeah, so smaller countries hate us during the Olympics because we are medal hogs. We are third place in winter games medal standings (193), only behind Norway (263) and the former USSR (194). We dominate.

_Canada_: The birthplace of the Sport of the Gods (ice hockey, dur), Mounties and some of my beloved music. -blares Barenaked Ladies- . -sings- We wouldn't have to eat Kraft dinner... but we would eat Kraft dinner... of course we would, we'd just eat more! -grins-

_The NHL_: Right, don't own that either. Wish I did.

_Great Britain and Japan_: Running out of countries to list that I know compete in Winter Games. -pets San Marino- Except these guys.

_Olympic Flame Ceremony_: Just fill in the blanks come February.

_Olympic Village_: I heard that this thing existed at one point. If it does anymore, I have no clue.

_Zelgadis's Reverie_: The first real reference to him being a chimera. If I do anything with this bit, I have no clue. It really just explains things and how he met Amelia and my OC herd.


	6. Roku

Here is a shocker chapter for everyone! Since I have not said it in a while... I HAVE FAILED IN THE FACT THAT I DO NOT OWN RIGHTS TO SLAYERS! Yes, I do not own them... just write about them. Also remember: I love triangles. -rambles on about geometry-

* * *

Roku

The shrill buzzer on the alarm clock awoke Zelgadis suddenly. He bolted upright in bed, smashing his skull on the bottom of the bunk bed above him. Nursing his throbbing head, he got up and stretched as he walked over to the door which had a note attached to it.

"Hockey players report to the ice rinks at three in the afternoon. See you then," Zelgadis read out loud.

_Oh... nice. So they left me to fend for myself. What lovely friends they are_, he thought. Zelgadis remembered that Frederick had told him that the skeleton team was facing the qualifying rounds at ten in the morning and asked if he could come. Like a good friend, he promised to be there early and cursed when he saw that it was already 9:15.

Zelgadis rushed to put on some fresh clothes and ran out the door. He made his way over to the outdoor competition grounds. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw how enormous the facility was. It was so massive that it probably could have swallowed the Winter Sporting Grounds in Seiryuun. As he walked through the throng of visitors, he could hear the symphony that the many languages created; see the nationalism displayed in flags and banners; he could feel the Olympic Spirit surging through the air.

_Damn it all_, he thought. _Why can I never find them when I need them?_

"Zelgadis!" Frederick's voice called out. Zelgadis's head shot towards the sound of his voice, where he found exactly what he wanted.

Now not a soul could look at any number of the Yerbinski siblings and say that they are not related. All seven brothers were there from Carson to Jacob. Their hair was all the same mousy color, their eyes all pale green and they usually shared the same goofy smile. It usually takes one a short while to tell the brothers apart, but Zelgadis knew their differences down pat. Frederick was usually hidden behind his glasses, was slightly built and had a nervous air to him. Carson and Daniel were near identical with the exception of Carson's four extra inches of height. Gabriel, who had never once shaved his scrappy beard, frequently took the liberty to shave and polish his bald scalp. Harry and Ian were most often covered in bruises from boxing bare-knuckle with each other and Ian was stockier than Harry. Jacob, being the youngest at fourteen, still had to loose the last of his childish features and wore his hair long enough to tease his eyes with it. These seven were like brothers to Zelgadis, since he had no brothers of his own.

"Where have you been?" Jacob asked, his voice cracking and squeaking due to the introduction of puberty.

"Sleeping," Frederick sighed. "I swear, he needs to sleep whenever he takes a single step."

"You should have gotten me up," Zelgadis argued, pointing accusingly at Frederick.

"You are the one who should not be out until one in the morning!"

"Now Zelgadis," Daniel said, resting an arm on Zelgadis's shoulder. "We all know your little secret. Why don't you just come out and say it?"

"Say what?" Zelgadis said, sweating bullets. He had no idea to what Daniel was saying. What did he have to hide? Did Daniel or one of his siblings see him talking to Amelia last night and assumed things happened later?

"We know about you being a vampire. You just had to recharge in the moonlight, didn't you?" Harry laughed. Zelgadis's worry ran away as the brothers all roared with laughter. He was the butt of a few of these kind of jokes, yet always took them with grace. He knew that none of them would say anything hurtful on purpose. Instead of getting mad, he took Daniel and gave him a sharp jab in the side. Laughing with each other, they passed the time well until an undistinguished amount of time passed and it was time for Carson and Daniel to go report for the qualifications.

Now skeleton is quite the dangerous sport. Instead of sledding down the hill like one would in a bobsled, there is one person on a sort of low sled and is going head first, making it highly risky and more common than wanted to have spinal and neck injuries. Carson and Daniel would be the only people from Seiryuun competing in the sport, mainly because they were the only ones nutters enough to try out.

The voice on the intercom announced out both Yerbinski brothers in succession and each time, a green-and-black blur whipped past Zelgadis's spot next to the track. Their times were put up and Zelgadis and the rest of the Yerbinski siblings cheered. They had the best times in the trials at that point.

"That is just awesome!" Ian yelled excitedly. "They have not been that fast yet!"

"Yeah, I know," Frederick said. "I think it must be the new gear that they just acquired."

"Whatever it is, I think it's freakin' sweet!" Jacob cheered. He and Harry ran down to near the bottom of the slope to meet up with their brothers. After laughing and joking some more, Zelgadis looked at his watch and swore.

"What is it?" Frederick asked.

"We have to be at the rink in an hour! I haven't even eaten lunch yet!"

"That's right!" Frederick squeaked. Without even saying goodbye to his siblings, he dragged Zelgadis off to find some food that they could eat quickly. After wandering around, they found a ramen cart and stopped there. Afterwards, they had to hurry to get to the ice rink and arrived with barely enough time to spare.

"Where have you two been?" Elena scolded. "We have been looking for you!"

"We were watching Carson and Daniel! It was not our fault it ran behind!" Frederick replied, getting ready to hide behind Zelgadis if his sister chose to attack.

"They had their run two hours ago," Elena said, unimpressed with the excuse.

"Really?" Zelgadis said. "Well, time sure does fly."

"Whatever," Elena sighed. "Come on you two. We need to report our team members first, then you can practice."

So she dragged Zelgadis and Frederick to a large room that had all of the other members of the team, including Coach Inverse, Coach Metallium and Amelia. There were three men and a woman there too that were new faces to Zelgadis's memory. The three newcomers were seated in chairs behind a desk and there were various other chairs for the players and coaches to sit in. Right in front of the table was a podium where Amelia stood.

"Is everybody here?" the woman asked. She had a British accent, a clipboard in her hand and looked very stern.

"Yes," Amelia said, noticing the trio that just entered.

"Then we would like the twenty-four man roster you have decided on," the woman said. Amelia took a deep breath before reading off the list.

"The forwards are: Gourry Gabriev, Nathaniel Cor, Volker Ton, Sam Penn, Jules McInnon, Jean Biope, Sander River, Constantine Michev, Jaques Monreal, Vladimir Sarionov, Sean Axel, Igor Parov and Barry Jenkins. The defensemen are: William Jones, Edward Daiyo, Max Brothers, Lyman Van Dyne, Frank Van Dyne, Josef Kiernov, Alexandre Tierski, Zach Zimmerman and Edwin Cay. The goalies are Zelgadis Graywords and Goran Nerski. The coaches shall be Lina Inverse, Frederick Yerbinski, Frederick Yerbinski and Xellos Metallium."

"Yerbinski," one of the men thought out loud. "Haven't I heard that name before?"

"Yes sir," Amelia replied. "Seven out of eight siblings are some how competing in the Games for Seiryuun. We so happen to have the twins on our coaching staff."

"Right," the woman said, scribbling on her clipboard. "These men right here are the team members and their coaches?"

"Yes they are," Amelia replied.

"I'm not a freakin' guy," Lina muttered under her breath. Elena nudged her a little bit.

"Hold your tongue until we get out of here, alright?"

"Whatever."

"You are dismissed. Your practice time is at nine o'clock this evening at rink three," the woman said. She left and so did the three men, even though none of them said a word.

"That was pretty pointless. Why did I have to be here for this?" Zelgadis grumped.

"Because that was similar to a roll call, that's what!" Amelia scolded. "I swear Zelgadis-san, you are just too grumpy!"

"Shut up and get a room you two," Lina muttered on her way out. The rest of the team had left as well and so it was only Amelia, Zelgadis, Frederick and Elena left.

"She's so rude!" Amelia grouched. "I just don't get it!"

"None of us do Amelia-chan," Frederick sighed. He walked over to the door and started to open it. "Are you guys coming?" he asked.

"Yes!" Amelia said happily as she nearly skipped over to the door.

"Be there in a minute!" Elena laughed. "I want to talk to Zelgadis-kun for a moment."

"Be quick! Harry has his trials in a half hour!" Amelia said as she disappeared behind the door. Elena carefully watched the door for a short while and then turned around to look at Zelgadis.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Zelgadis asked, leaning casually on the back of a chair.

"Something I wanted to tell you for a long time."

"How long?"

"Since we stopped dating."

"Am I going to regret listening?"

"I really like you Zelgadis."

"We've been friends since childhood. I would have to think that you like me somewhere in there."

"No, I mean, like... like I'm falling in love with you."

Zelgadis lost his grip on the chair and fell to the floor. His skin flushed a purple-red color and his heart skipped a few beats.

"What...?" he said, trying to stay calm. He got up and looked Elena sternly in the eye. "You can't be serious."

"Yes, I am," Elena said softly. "About three days after we broke up I realized it. I kept on trying to tell myself to get over it, but I just couldn't. It nearly crushed me when you started seeing the Princess."

Zelgadis did not know what to say. This was his good friend; the one who stood up to all of those bullies and made him feel wanted all those years ago. Even when they had been "dating" they never referred to each other as anything other than friend. Where did this come from?

"Elena, you knew I have been dating Amelia," Zelgadis said. "Why do you bring this up now?"

"I just could not keep it in anymore," she cried, unexpectedly clinging onto Zelgadis. "Keeping things in only make it worse."

"Maybe you should have told me after the Olympics. That might have been better," Zelgadis sighed. He uncomfortably patted Elena on the back, wishing he was somewhere else.

"I love you Zelgadis."

"...and you are my friend, nothing more."

"Why?" Elena asked, tears now forming in her eyes. She looked up at Zelgadis and sniffled.

"That is just the way I feel," he said, trying not to show emotion himself. He heard a soft squeak from somewhere, but forgot it in an instant. "You of all people can understand that."

"Yeah, but..."

"You know that no matter what, I will always be there for you, got it?"

"Yes... but Zelgadis...!"

"Don't cry," Zelgadis said softly, reluctantly hugging Elena. She cried into his chest and did not let go of him for what felt like forever. When she did let go however, it was because Zelgadis shoved her away.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I think we should try to catch up with Frederick and Amelia. They are going to be worrying where we went," he smiled.

Elena forced a smile too and they walked over to the door of the room. As they approached the door, Zelgadis hear a set of footsteps rushing down the hall. He quickly opened the door and caught just a fleeting glimpse of Amelia running down the hallway to get outside.

Zelgadis followed her in a rush. He did not know what Amelia heard or did not hear. What if she had mistaken something? Zelgadis knew that he had to tell her what was going on. He ran around the grounds and down a deserted bench-lined path.

"Amelia!" he cried out as he found her on the bench they had sat on together the previous night. She was crying and shifted away as Zelgadis sat down in the seat next to her.

"Go away," she said through a distinct sniffle.

"I don't know what you had heard Amelia," Zelgadis said, "but whatever it was, I can explain it."

"You do not have to explain it, I heard the whole thing," Amelia sniffled.

"Then you know how I feel about Elena," Zelgadis said cautiously. Amelia's head snapped to the side so her face, red from crying, was looking cruelly at Zelgadis.

"It's just the way you feel, that you will always be there for her. What is the matter with you Zelgadis-san? Why did you go and turn on me like that? I thought we were a couple? How could you do that?"

"Do what?" Zelgadis asked. He was a slight bit perplexed at Amelia's tears, not knowing if he could handle both his good friend and girlfriend breaking down and crying within such a short period of time.

"Cheat on me Zelgadis-san, that's what! You are so mean! I hate you! I never want to see you again you... you_ freak_!" Amelia yelled. She ran off, leaving Zelgadis alone on the bench to wonder what part of his conversation with Elena she had heard to make her think he was cheating on her.

"Zelgadis?" Elena asked, running down the vacant pathway. "What happened?" She stopped to catch her breath next to Zelgadis's bench.

"She hates me," Zelgadis half-whispered. He briskly stood up and spun around so he faced Elena. "Thanks to you, she hates me!"

"What?" Elena asked, a bit of shock coming from her tired voice.

"Amelia thinks I was cheating on her! She called me a freak! She truly hates me now!" Zelgadis roared. "She heard only a part of our conversation and assumed things!"

"Then we have to go talk to her..."

"Go ahead," Zelgadis snapped. "You talk to her. See if it gets through. Probably won't. This is great, just great." He went and started to stomp off towards the building his room was in.

"Zel..."

"Stay away from me!"

Zelgadis's curt snap froze Elena in place. She watched him as he stomped off towards a cluster of buildings and disappeared into one of them. When he was finally out of sight, she collapsed onto the cobblestone path, holding herself up with shaking arms as it rained on the stone beneath her face.

**80808080808080808**

Zelgadis stormed into the small room he shared with Gourry, Frederick and a covered-in-potato-chip-and-still-sleeping Xellos. To his dismay, all three men were there when he arrived and looked at him as he walked in.

"What's the matter?" Gourry asked. He and Frederick were playing a game of cards before Zelgadis's foul mood disrupted them.

"Leave me alone," Zelgadis muttered as he slunk into his bunk. Frederick put down his cards and went over to his friend.

"Come on," he pleaded. "Tell us what is wrong."

"Why don't you ask your damned sister!" Zelgadis yelled. "She was the one who started all of this!"

"What?" Frederick asked, feeling severely left out. "What did she do?"

"She cost me Amelia, that's what," Zelgadis grumbled. "I am so pissed off at her right now I could kill her."

"Zelgadis, it can't be that bad..." Gourry said.

"It is," Zelgadis interrupted. "She confessed some strange, newly discovered love for me, cried, made me hug her and stuff, then Amelia only took in part of the conversation and now doesn't want to be near me!"

"Let her cool off," Gourry said.

"She called me a freak," Zelgadis said sadly. "She was the one who always told others to not call me that. She truly hates me now."

Gourry looked from his best friend to Frederick, sitting down on the bunk opposite Zelgadis. He had a look on his face of pure confusion, wondering if what Zelgadis said was true or not. The room was very tense. No one could speak, until Xellos broke the silence.

"Violence is not an answer, it's a solution!"

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So Please Do Not Feed Me To the Fiction Nazis**

"_Oh, nice..."_: Yes, that was actually a reference. Onslow from the British sitcom _Keeping Up Appearances _says this. A lot.

_The Yerbinski Brothers_: Yup, definitely thinking _Seven Wives For Seven Brothers _cast here.

_Skeleton_: That sport just always freaked me out.

_Roll Call_: I just wanted to list the roster I came up with. -grins-

_The Elena/Zelgadis/Amelia Thing_: I think I saw this in a movie once. Which movie... I don't remember. It is a spiffy plot device though. Triangles are a fiction-ka's best friend.

"_Violence is not an answer, it's a solution!"_: One of my favorite quotes of all time. It was just too random not to put in. Besides, he's being prophetic here. Trust the Nehszriah on that.


	7. Shichi

Hello there again! Updating just for the spiffy weekend! Gather 'round all and read the greatness that is not my own. (You know, the chracters.)

* * *

Shichi

"Hello there folks and welcome to the Quarter-finals of the Olympic Ice Hockey Games," the radio announcer said, seated high in his press box, overlooking all of the ice rink. "My name is AirJay and this next to me is my co-announcer Naga."

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha," Naga laughed. This is sure to be a fun game, especially since the match-up is so uneven."

"Yes," AirJay said with an official and knowing tune. "Today's match-up is against the tiny newcomers of Seiryuun against the hockey-giant Finland."

"They are hockey-giants?" Naga asked. The white dog at her feet started barking.

"Rrrruff, ruff! Ruuruff ruf rufufuf!" (Damn straight! Too cold for anything else!)

"Right Kiko," Air Jay cut in, "...and now, the starting lineup for Seiryuun! Gourry Gabriev, Constantine Michev, Sander River, Frank Van Dyne, Zach Zimmerman and Zelgadis Graywords!"

The sound of AirJay's announcement and his various translators bellowed in the arena. The fans filled the air with cheers of utter joy and excitement. It truly was the very first round of the Olympics. In other ice rinks, Russia and Denmark were near to waging war, the United States were running over Germany and Canada had already beaten the bloody tar out of Norway.

Once AirJay announced the athletes for Finland, the players from both Finland and Seiryuun skated around on the ice to warm up. Zelgadis glided into the net and stretched out. Looking up, he saw Elena watching him from the team's bench. He quickly diverted his eyes away and started to concentrate on blocking practice shots from his teammates. Naga was calling out the names of the Portuguese referees as he took a puck right in the face mask. It felt so good to take part in all of this good, violent activity.

It had been nearly a week already since when Elena had pulled him aside that day and disrupted everything. Zelgadis had done his best to avoid Elena and Frederick seemed to be taking the whole situation quite well, trying to stay as neutral as he possibly could. Amelia had found a way to be away from Zelgadis at all times and Lina had even told him about the verbal fights Elena and Amelia were getting into. She said that they were so loud and heated that everyone over in Seiryuun could probably hear them.

All of this did not matter at that moment though. All that mattered, was the referee called Sunny dropping the puck between Gourry and a Finnish man and the game getting into full gear.

**80808080808080808**

"What in the hell are you lot doing out there!" Lina yelled. It was the first intermission of the game and they still had the score tied at zero. The only thing that had kept them there though was Zelgadis's goaltending prowess.

"They're really tough Coach!" Sean Axel panted. He and the defenseman Josef Kiernov had quickly become favorite checking targets for the Finnish players, nearly spending all of their time on the ice sandwiched between the boards and an opponent.

"I do realize that Sean," Lina said. "Gourry! You were blind-sided four times already! Where are your brains you... you... baka jellyfish!"

"Leave him alone Coach," Nathaniel Cor said. "We all just need to adapt."

"You are Olympians now! You have to adapt in an instant!" Lina yelled. She paused for a moment, took a nerve-steadying breath, then looked at Zelgadis. "You just blocked over thirty shots; do you need a break?"

At first, Zelgadis did not answer. He just glared at the floor as if in a trance. It was only when Gourry nudged him did he look over at Lina.

"Sorry... What was that?"

"Do you need a break?" Lina repeated.

"No, I'm fine," Zelgadis said, fatigue resonating in his voice.

"I am replacing you though as long as everyone else straightens up," Lina said. "We cannot exhaust you in the first game due to sloppy play... right gentlemen?" She got a groan of agreement from her tired athletes. "Frederick, who do you have pegged to start next period?"

"Monreal, McInnon and Biope," Frederick answered uncomfortably, adjusting his eyeglasses.

"Xellos, your defense," Lina barked.

"Jones and Cay," Xellos said with a grin. He popped up out of nowhere, right behind the already-skittish Sam Penn. The spooked man jumped up and thus started a comical chase around the locker room, trying to thwack Xellos into non-existence. Lina sighed and gave up the prospect of giving her team more of a lecture.

"Zelgadis," Gourry part-whispered. "What is the matter? You seem to be depressed. Is it still Elena and Amelia?"

"Yeah. It is really hard. I want to be friends with Elena still but Amelia... I really want to be with her too," Zelgadis moaned. "I really, really want to be with Amelia, but I just don't know if she can stand me being friends with Elena after this."

"I think that it is kind of sad that you three have been good friends since you were all small children. Why should something like this ever tear you guys apart?"

"Women suck," Zelgadis said half-heartedly.

"Says the womanizer who cannot keep track of how many girls he's dated," Gourry joked. Zelgadis gave him a brotherly punch and laughed.

"Hey, not my fault... alright?" he joked. "I don't choose how they act after we break up."

"I know that, but still... why does there have to be a fight? All this friction between my friends really bites."

"Bites that it does my good jellyfish-brained friend," Zelgadis said as he got up and stretched. The both of them then walked out onto the ice to warm up. They knew that it would take a huge amount of effort to score on the Finns, let alone keep the score tied at zero.

**80808080808080808**

Gourry became a mere blur as he rushed past Zelgadis in the net. Standing behind the goal, he pondered his next move and in a split decision, burst off to his left. The game was still tied and it was nearing the end of the third period and the end of the game. Six minutes were left as Gourry passed the puck to Sander River and Sander made a vicious slapshot at the Finnish goalkeep. The clang of hard rubber on the metal goalpost resounded throughout the rink, yet hardly anyone besides the players heard for the crowd was in such a frenzy it was hard to talk to the person two seats down.

"Rebound! Rebound!" Sander screamed as Gourry and Jaques Monreal sped towards the loose puck along with two Finnish players. Jaques's stick touched the puck first and he snapped his wrists for a thrillingly fast wristshot. Fast as lighting, the goalie's reflexes jerked and caught the puck and the referee named Ramon blew the whistle.

"What a shot!" AirJay exclaimed from his broadcast booth.

"Yeah, I guess," Naga sighed indifferently. She and Kiko the Dog seemed to be much less into the sport as AirJay was.

"Come on!" AirJay yelled excitedly. "This has been an exciting game. I am sure all of our listeners at home are wishing they were here."

"_O que_," Naga muttered unenthusiastically. She patted Kiko on the head, wondering to why she had even accepted her job as a radio broadcaster.

Back on the ice, things were heating up fast. The near goal had lit a fire under the Finnish team. They got possession of the puck and bolted down the ice towards Zelgadis. The goalie tensed up for the impending goal attempt and waited while on the edge.

Sander River's ears perked up as he heard Lina call him into the bench. He came and almost instinctively, Igor Parov came out to take his place on offence. The fresh player sped down to the red center line, waiting for Gourry to retrieve the puck. He and the two defensemen Willy Jones and Ed Daiyo were attempting to commandeer the puck, yet they could not help to struggle against the Finnish players.

"Eat ice!" one of the Finnish wingmen cackled as he shoved Ed into Zelgadis, forcing the goalie to fall and the goal to go off-kilter. Ed had such a bad fall that his skate accidently collided with Zelgadis's right arm, slashing through jersey and padding, creating a deep gash that spewed blood everywhere.

"Zelgadis!" Gourry cried out. He lost his temper and flew at the Finn who caused the accident. Throwing off his gloves and helmet, Gourry sucker-punched the Finnish man and sent him flying into the boards. "No one hurts my friends like that!" he roared. Gourry and his opponent fought violently, causing a much longer pause in the game than needed to shuffle the wounded Zelgadis off the ice.

"Penalty on number thirty-eight of Seiryuun and number twelve of Finland!" Ramon said once he and Sunny, the other referee, were able to pry apart the two men and put them in separate penalty boxes. "Four minutes each!"

So thus the four-on-four play started. The minds of Lina and her staff were not on the game however, but on Zelgadis. With not even a minute left of the four-on-four left, Lina left Xellos in charge and she bolted off, along with Frederick and Elena, down into the corridor where two medic had taken Zelgadis.

"Damn it all!" Lina cursed. "Without Zelgadis, our game is jeopardized!"

"Trust Nerski," Elena said as they came upon the athletes' clinic. The three walked inside to see Zelgadis propped up on a bench, grimacing bitterly. He had his torso padding and jersey off so that one of the two medics present could gingerly wrap up his arm.

"There you are Coach Inverse," the free medic said. She was in a white coat and carried a clipboard. Her fire-red hair nearly made Lina's seem to be colored of dirt and her face carried a fearful expression. "I hope your back-up goalie is good."

"He is," Lina answered. "How long is Zelgadis going to be out?"

"We cannot tell," the medic said.

"Well Miss... Alandra, we have to know right now!" Frederick yelled, pausing to look at the woman's name tag on her coat. "How bad is it?"

"I already told you that we do not know," she stated. "His skin is highly unusual. Very tough. It was nearly impossible for us to even sew it up. It is very hard to predict his body's reaction to the wound. Why does he have no medical history for us to look back upon?"

"...because there is none," a voice panted. Everyone looked over at the door to see Amelia, trying to catch her breath from running al the way there from her seat in the skybox. "There has never been anything wrong with him."

"Amelia!" Lina scolded. "You should not have run all the way here!"

"I had to," the princess said wearily. "You see, our country does not need medial history of our athletes as long as we can prove that everything with them is just fine. School records show that Zelgadis-san had only one absence when he had the chicken pox in kindergarten and nothing else. No other person has had such an immunity to sickness."

"This is all fine and dandy Princess, yet I need to know why his skin is so hard and if it affects healing time!"

"It was a curse," Zelgadis piped up. The medic called Maliska, who was winding a bandage across his arm, had finished and so Zelgadis could move again. "My grandfather said that there was a curse put upon me when I was a small child. When I would get scrapes on my knees and small cuts when I was playing at recess or in P.E. class, they would always seem to heal by the end of the day."

"Yes Graywords-san, but this is a very serious injury. Your nerves were very close to being severed permanently," Alandra said officially. "If that skate came any further down your playing days would be over."

"Yes," Maliska added. "Just because minor scrapes heal quickly does not mean that this cut will. It could heal slower."

"Exactly," Alandra said smugly. "We have to keep Graywords-san here for some observation. Otherwise we can report to the head Olympic committee that he does not have a written medical history and that would be bad."

"Give me a report when you can then," Lina muttered angrily. She and the Yerbinski twins were shuffled out of the room, leaving Amelia and Zelgadis alone.

"Are you alright?" Amelia asked. "I do not really trust them. You know, those medics. I know I should, but..."

"I'm fine," Zelgadis mumbled as he flexed his arm, wincing slightly. Amelia went and sat down next to him on the clinic bed. He still had on his bulky shinpads and skates from the game, causing his body to look highly disproportional.

"I am so sorry Zelgadis-san," Amelia cried. She went and hugged him, careful not to touch his injured arm. "I should have believed you."

"You're forgiven Amelia," Zelgadis sighed, putting his free arm around Amelia as she cried. "Neither of us could prepare for what Elena slammed on us."

"We should forgive her too," Amelia sniffled. "Oh, I was so worried about you! Why did that brute have to shove Daiyo-san and cut up your arm?"

"It was the pressure of the game," Zelgadis said thoughtfully. He was angry at the Finnish player himself, yet opted to be calm and enjoy the fact that he had his Amelia back again. He even leaned over and kissed her gently on the top of her head, causing her to blush.

After a short while of silence, Amelia and Zelgadis could hear Gourry running down the hall, laughing merrily.

"Zelgadis! Amelia! We won!" he yelled as he poked his head in through the door. "Barry Jenkins scored with about three seconds remaining! We are going on to the semi-finals!"

* * *

**Parodies/References I Am Not Owning So Please Do Not Harass Me**

_Gerao-A_: I do not own my reviewers. -hides leashes- That would be silly. Ramon and Sunny are the referees, Alandra and Maliska the medics and AirJay and Kiko sit in the radio broadcast stand with Naga. They are awesome... but need to update more.

_The Naga/AirJay shipment_: Because AirJay likes it.

_The Naga_: She's here. Deal all you Naga-haters out there.

_The Evil Finnish Players_: I do not have any grudge against hockey players from Finland. This is just for story purposes only. I have no clue if the team is really this violent.

_Zelgadis's Injury_: Yeah, another reference to him being a chimera. This one is from a medicinal standpoint. I also feel like I have to constantly injure the poor chimera. Read _The Unexpected Band _if you don't get what I mean.

_Amelia's Forgiveness_: She had to forgive him eventually! How could she just say no to him? Who would say no to him? I'm not sure if I could!


	8. Hachi

So this might be my last update-thingie for a while. My computer was taken away and I have this is the last complete chapter as of today. "O que" is what the online translator-thing gave me for "whatever." Please do not hurt me Random Rviewer-san. -bows- Gerao, did you get my mail? I think this is considered ramblings. I DO NOT OWN SLAYERS!

* * *

Hachi

The ecstacy that was created from Seiryuun's first Olympic hockey win could be felt throughout the Games complex. The Seiryuun team cheered and was nearly as loud and obnoxious as the orange-clad Dutch team. After about two days, the baffled medics were forced to release Zelgadis, warning him that he could not play for another four days without risking splitting open his arm again. It depressed Zelgadis, but Amelia was there to help keep his spirits up.

"So who are we supposed to play tonight?" Zelgadis asked as he, Gourry and Frederick walked over to the arena where the curling competition was being held.

"Russia," Frederick chuckled sarcastically. "We are so dead. We barely held against Finland and they already have Denmark under their belt."

"Don't worry," Zelgadis said. "As long as you guys win, I'll be able to play against the winner of the USA/Canada game. My arm should be better by then."

"Fine. All that I know is that the Americans and Canadians both have tough teams and well, one of them is falling bad tomorrow," Frederick said.

"I think we will do fine," Gourry said confidently. "We'll not only play for Seiryuun, but for you too. It'll be so awesome!"

Now Gourry, being one of such jellyfish brains as himself, had no idea to what Seiryuun was really up against. Russia was a powerhouse contender during the Cold War era as the USSR. Their legacy had dimmed in the fourteen years that separated the fall of the Soviet Union and that moment, yet they were still not to be taken lightly. Many of Russia's stars went to the NHL in America to play and became near essentials. Such players were Vladimir Konstinov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Federov, who were part of the Detroit Red Wings' feared "Russian Five" in the nineties and have since been replaced on the team by Pavel Datsyuk and the insane amount of their various Swedes.

"Now Gourry, I do not want you getting into any more fights on my account," Zelgadis said. "I can take care of myself."

"I know that, I just snapped," Gourry admitted sheepishly. "I could not help myself."

"Yeah, well, let us try to stop ourselves next time you want to knock someone else's lights out," Frederick scowled as he flashed his badge for the gatekeeper, allowing him free access to the curling match. "You could have been ejected from the rest of the Olympics! Do you realize how much that would hurt us?"

"A bit," Gourry admitted.

"More than a bit," Zelgadis said sourly. "The team could have been disgraced forever." He rolled his eyes and went down to get a good seat to watch Gabriel and Ian play with the rest of the curling team. Curling is not a very hard sport to figure out. It is like shuffleboard on ice where people slide giant stones down the ice and two people follow it and brush the ice with special brooms to make a path to where the team wants the stone to land. The stone does not always get to its destination and can even overshoot if the ream is not careful. It was Gabriel and Ian's job to guide the stone with the brooms, making them both highly important to the team.

"Hey guys!" Frederick called out. He waved his arm wildly in order to catch the attention of his brothers down on the ice. They both saw him and waved back. Frederick laughed at how nervous everyone who was pegged to play appeared. They were facing the Canadian team that was rumored to be even better than the one that snagged the silver medals in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. Even though some jitters were natural, Frederick still loved to tease his siblings every chance he could.

"Yeah! Go get them!" Gourry yelled happily. Zelgadis just sat down in his seat and sighed.

"Come on Zelgadis," Frederick laughed as the match started. "Have a little bit of fun!"

"Sure," he muttered back. All of the ice was making him think about playing again. Zelgadis knew it was silly to mope whilst a few-day healing process occurred, yet he just could not help himself. He was always able to get up and go on the ice every day he could, yet tonight he would have to miss the team's game against Russia. It was only when Seiryuun's curling team advanced in the rounds did he even pretend to be even the slightest bit happy.

**80808080808080808**

Zelgadis looked morosely at the empty ice rink. In a few hours he would have to be over at another arena and sit on the players' bench and watch his hockey team play powerhouse Russia. His arm still had a dull ache slithering up and down his still-bandaged forearm, forcing his face to look pained. Standing still, he appeared to be a clothed statue, not even moving a muscle when a metal door opened and the sound of a rushed gait stumbled in.

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia said. "Come on, we have to go meet up with the rest of the team." She put her hand gently on his right upper arm.

"I know that. There is just something that does not feel exactly right. Something is wrong, deep inside."

"Did you ever talk to Elena?"

"No... but that is not it though."

Amelia did not say anything back. She just hugged Zelgadis's arm and sighed. It was too apparent he wanted to be out on the ice playing, yet he could not unless Nerski was horribly injured. The ice was his place... the only place where he was accepted by his peers and feared by his opponents. It pained him to not be able to go out onto the ice, since he just felt so right there.

Zelgadis gently brushed Amelia off and looked at his bandaged arm. He looked down at the pure white cloth covering it; such a contrast to the stony grey of his skin.

"I never had an injury quite like this before," he explained. "All of my life I have seemed to be invincible... I just cannot understand why I must be injured now..."

"It was to open my eyes," Amelia said. "I had to realize that I really love you. It was wrong of me to assume you were cheating Zelgadis-san..."

"Stop it Amelia."

"What? Do not make it your fault," Amelia started. Zelgadis raised his hand to stop her.

"No more 'Zelgadis-san.' I am your Zelgadis."

"Z-Zelgadis...?" Amelia whispered. Zelgadis gently wrapped his arms around her waist and shoulder and kissed her. Amelia was stunned by the whole thing. His kiss. His cold, hard lips. His out of character affection. She embraced it anyways. Kissing him back, she held Zelgadis as well, placing her arms about his neck. Her movements were cautious, since she did not want to hurt herself on his steely hair.

"I really do love you Amelia," Zelgadis gasped, pausing their moment.

"I really love you too... _Zelgadis_," Amelia replied. They both looked at each other and said nothing, yet everything at once. Lightly, Zelgadis stroked Amelia's soft black hair and decided on his next move. He held Amelia out at arm's length so he could see her nice and clearly.

"There is something I want to ask you," he said. "This is the first time I ever really had the opportunity to tell you."

"Go ahead then."

"Amelia... will you ma..."

Bang! The nearby steel door burst open and someone walked in. Zelgadis stopped in mid-word as he and Amelia looked over at the intruder.

"I-I am so sorry," Elena muttered as she saw Zelgadis and Amelia together. She looked like she had run all the way there in the cold for her cheeks and ears were bright red. "This must not be a good time..."

"Elena-chan!" Amelia cried. She ran over to her, nearly tackling the embarrassed woman in a bear hug. "I am so sorry I fought with you! Can we be friends, champions of justice, again?"

"I should be the one apologizing," Elena said softly. "I should not have crossed the line. It is my fault."

" 'All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players,' " Zelgadis quoted. "Not one person is singularly at fault for shaking up our friendship like that. Let us forget everything." Elena and Amelia curiously looked over at him as if he were not Zelgadis, but someone else instead.

"Do you really mean that Zelgadis-kun?" Elena asked. "We do not have to fight anymore?"

"The three of us are better than all of that. Now, what did you come here for Elena-chan?"

"Lina-chan is requesting you two at the dressing room entrance immediately," Elena told Zelgadis. "She was really upset when she showed up and you two were not there."

"Typical," Zelgadis sighed. He and the girls then walked out of the ice rink together, just in time for the German figure skating team to start their practice.

**80808080808080808**

Meanwhile, at one of the other ice arenas, Lina and Gourry were standing outside, waiting for their friends to arrive. It was by one of the athletes' entrances, so Gourry was in full game padding and gear.

"How much longer are we going to have to wait?" Gourry whined.

"Until they get here or the game starts, which ever comes first," Lina moaned. She took from her pocket a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and started to smoke.

"I did not know that you smoked," Gourry said disapprovingly. Lina just shot him an evil glare.

"Nervous smoker," she curtly replied, hoping it was a good enough excuse for the man. Unfortunately for her, it was not. Gourry took the cigarette from her mouth and threw it in the nearby trash bin. "Hey! What did you do that for?"

"Smoking is bad for you!" Gourry yelled back. "It is very icky too! It makes your clothes smell, your teeth turn yellow and you could get sick from it."

"Then what in the hell do you do when you are nervous?" Lina whined.

"I do not know. I do not really think that I ever really am nervous."

_That's because he's too stupid to be_, Lina thought. She looked up at Gourry's smiling face. She could see his loving concern for her flowing out of his clear blue eyes. All they did was stare at each other until they were interrupted suddenly.

"Inverse-saaaan!" Xellos sang as he burst out of the entranceway. "The female Yerbinski has arrived with Zelgadis-kun and the Princess!"

"Thank you..." Lina growled, trying her best to restrain herself from pummeling Xellos for not letting her get closer to Gourry. As she walked inside though, she knew it was for the best. The last thing any one of them needed was inflated gossip surrounding the hockey team and its coaching staff.

"We're here," Elena said happily as Lina, Gourry and Xellos approached her. She was standing all alone in the hallway outside the locker room, looking more content than she had been in a couple of days.

"What's with you?" Lina asked skeptically.

"Nothing," Elena grinned.

"Where is Zelgadis-kun and Amelia-chan?"

"I do not know."

"Why?"

"They said they needed to do something first. Both of them will be right here soon," Elena said. Lina was not too sure what to make of this situation, yet unwillingly shook it off and went to go prepare her team for the game to come with a little pep-talk.

**80808080808080808**

Once upon a time there was a little broom cupboard. This little broom cupboard was a particularly special one indeed. Yes, this was where the mops, brooms and other cleaning supplies were stored until their use was needed, but it was also very dark in the little broom cupboard. This pleased quite a few people who walked into it. There were the creepy janitor types who liked it because it would remind them of their glory years of playing role-play games in their parents' basement. There were also the gothics, who liked it because it was dark and that was just the way they were. Then, there was Amelia and Zelgadis...

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So Please Do Not Use Them As Flame Excuses**

_The obnoxious Dutch_: Yes, that is how we are and we love it.

_Ramblings on Russia_: That is the result of living in a hockey-crazed area, knowing these things. I was little when the Russian Five were still in existence. The Russian Datsyuk-san and all of the random Swedish players on the team really did replace the old Five and we are about to have a severe lack of actual Russians now that everyone is getting old and the Soviet ways are nonexistent in the training of new athletes.

_Curling_: I watch curling and am proud of it.

"_All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players"_: A quotation from the William Shakespeare play As You Like It. Twas the line that starts off the "Seven Stages of Man" monologue by Jaques. I recently saw this at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Very good, entertaining, pervy bit of work there. Touchstone the Jester is awesome! -mutters- Warrrrrrped.

_Gourry's disdain for smoking_: The Nehszriah hates cigarettes. The Nehszriah is the vice-president of a group at school that campaigns against smoking cigarettes. Smoking will kill you quicker than nature can on her own. Please be healthy. We all care. -huggle-

_My ending paragraph_: One of the grossest fairytales one could ever tell. Ickies... they are going to do it! Wh00t! Bring on the lemons! -dancing lemons appear- Whee!


	9. Kyu

So I was watching the Red Wings/Blue Jackets game on Saturdayand saw that there was a player on the Colombus Blue Jackets roster named Jason Chimera. **CHIMERA**. I just thought that was so awesome, I had to tell everyone. It would have been better if his number was 79 and played goal, but alas, no. Alright! to the story who's character I do not own!

* * *

Kyu

"Get the puck! Get the puck!" Lina screamed. Headed over into their own defensive zone, Gourry, Nathaniel Cor and Volker Ton streaked past her like black and green bolts of lighting. The game had just began and things were already off to a bleak start.

Gourry and one of the Russians slammed into the boards together, making them wobble and shake with fear. Both men tried to claim possession of the precious puck, yet in the end, the Russian man won. He passed it to a teammate and that teammate ended up forfeiting the puck to Lyman Van Dyne as he and his brother Frank passed it back and forth to each other, ultimately ending up giving it up to Volker as he shot towards the Russian goalie. He pulled his stick back for a slapshot and...

**80808080808080808**

Elsewhere, in the little broom cupboard, Amelia and Zelgadis were getting ready to leave. They both made sure they had everything they came in with and turned on a little light in the one corner.

"Oh... your collar is not right Zelgadis," Amelia said lovingly as she reached up and fixed the collar on Zelgadis's shirt. As if it was his cue, Zelgadis went and deeply kissed Amelia as she got close to him. Their plan to escape the little broom cupboard was foiled. She kissed him back, turned off the little light and soon, the position of the collar really did not matter anymore to either of them...

**80808080808080808**

"What in the hell do you think you are doing? Are you blind?" Lina yelled at Referee Sunny. She had just called a tripping penalty that Lina really did not deem critical

"Jones clearly tripped his Russian counterpart," Sunny said frankly. It was true. Willy Jones did purposely trip a Russian player, but Lina did not see it. Her ego was just being hyperactive again. "Now calm down Coach Inverse or I shall have to eject you from the game!"

"Frederick! Get your offense ready!" Lina yelled towards the other end of the bench. The ever obedient Frederick acted immediately, taking in Gourry, Nathaniel and Volker and putting out Sander River, Jaques Monreal and Vladimir Sarionov.

"Let's move team!" he yelled out encouragingly. "Come on! Let's..."

**80808080808080808**

"...go. We have to go now Amelia. Everyone is probably worried sick about us," Zelgadis said, feeling absolutely exhausted. Next to him was Amelia, eyes closed, breathing deeply and with a blissful smile on her face. It took Zelgadis a few silent moments to realize that Amelia was fast asleep. He carefully cradled her in his arms as she slumbered on.

_Damn, I was told that guys are supposed to be sleepy afterward, not the other way around_, he thought. _Oh well. Best not disturb her._

So with that, Zelgadis closed his own eyes and drifted off into wondrous dreams of his own, playing ice hockey and being with his Amelia.

**80808080808080808**

"How are we even surviving out there?" Lina screamed as her athletes sat in the locker room during the first intermission. Everyone was worn out from trying to keep up with the fast Russian skaters, especially Gourry. He had been skating up and down the ice all period long.

"We can't do it," Goran Nerski groaned, placing his goalie's mask on the bench next to him. "I do not know how Stone Wall keeps the net like that. I just am not up to his standards."

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" Lina barked. "How do you think Seiryuun would act if she heard you lot say such things as quitting and that they are too much! She would flood the streets with her tears, that's what!"

"How can Seiryuun cry if Seiryuun is a country?" Edwin Cay panted.

"By being a country. The people cries, so does the country. That is what I meant," Lina sighed. She knew that Edwin must have been tired to pull a question like that from his hat, for those usually were the work of Gourry. Muttering under her breath, she wondered if they were going to survive to see even the sun rise, let alone the finals.

**80808080808080808**

Amelia bolted upright, sweating beads of ice. Squinting in the dark, she tried to make out where she was. The memory came to her vividly, yet still struck her as strange. She glanced over next to her to see Zelgadis, fast asleep as she was just moments ago. They were both fully clothed and in what just appeared to be a mild cuddle, not what she remembered to have happened.

"Zelgadis," Amelia whispered. She lightly shook him. "Zelgadis, I think we need to go now."

"Huh?" Zelgadis moaned as he stirred from his slumber. Slowly sitting upright, he gave a nice, long yawn-and-stretch and then looked around the little broom cupboard. It was still very dark and secluded, just like they both had planned, but Zelgadis could tell that something was different.

"What is the matter?" Amelia asked as she and Zelgadis stood up.

"Something is not the same," he said. Suddenly, Zelgadis knew what was different. His arm no longer hurt. The feeling seemed so foreign to him, yet so right. "My arm is better," he whispered.

"What?" Amelia asked.

"My arm feels better. It does not hurt like it did when we were at the ice rink."

Amelia and Zelgadis both were rendered speechless. If Zelgadis's arm did not hurt anymore, did that mean that...? Nah... it couldn't have been what caused his arm to get better. Who ever heard of intimacy of that kind curing an ailment? That was just crazy-talk. Slightly nervous, they both exited the little broom cupboard in silence, being careful not to be seen by anyone. Almost as soon as they got to the locker room hallway, the timer rang to signal the end of the second intermission. The Seiryuun Slayers walked out of the locker room and shuffled back to the ice to begin play again.

"Zelgadis-kun! Amelia-chan! There you two are!" Lina yelled when she spotted them. "Zelgadis-kun, suit up. Nerski is starting to give in. The game is tied at one-to-one and we're being worn down quickly." Zelgadis went to protest, but Lina stopped him by pointing at the locker room door and then puffing off to the bench so the game could get underway once again.

"I should do as she says," Zelgadis groaned as he opened the locker room door.

**80808080808080808**

Zelgadis came out of the locker room dressed in his full game equipment. Amelia was still waiting for him in the hall. She looked at him as if he were her knight in shining white armor.

"Amelia, please go and sit with your father," Zelgadis said gently. Smiling brightly, she kissed him lightly and burst off down the hall.

"Play well Zelgadis!" Amelia said as she ran down the hallway. It pleased Zelgadis to see such a smile on her face. Now if he could only ask her…

**80808080808080808**

"Amelia! Where have you been!" Prince Phil exclaimed as Amelia entered the small skybox room. Down below was the hockey game, paused by a hooking penalty on Russia, called by Referee Ramon. The player on the other end of the call was furious, going nutters and causing quite a commotion.

"Oh, don't worry Daddy," Amelia assured. "Everything is fine."

"Good," Prince Phil said as his daughter sat down. "At least you got here in time to see Zelgadis play."

"Zelgadis...?" Amelia whispered. She looked out the window to see a goalie stretching out on the ice with a green 79 on the back of the jersey, making her heart skip a beat.

_Zelgadis_, she thought, smiling down upon the ice.

**80808080808080808**

Back in the announcer's booth, AirJay and Naga were being... well... AirJay and Naga.

"Come on now!" AirJay yelled out. "Let us see some fists fly! Fight! Punch him!" He was punching the air dramatically as he spoke.

"Stop it AirJay," Naga sighed. "We are still on the air."

"I don't care! I want to see a fight!"

"This is the Olympics. Sportsmanship is generally a requirement."

"That did not stop Seiryuun's Gabriev a few days ago," AirJay protested.

"Speaking of," Naga said suddenly, "looks like there is a goalie change for Seiryuun. Zelgadis Graywords in back in the net. Good thing too. Goran Nerski was looking pretty worn out."

"All right! Stone Wall's back!" AirJay cheered. After a short dance of celebration, he sat back down, nearly stepping on the underfoot Kiko.

"Rufff!" _Idiot_!

**80808080808080808**

"Zelgadis!" Gourry cried out. He went over and tackled his friend, nearly sending him into the goalpost. "How come you are playing?"

"Coach told me to change."

"Weren't you still injured?"

"I'll tell you about that later," the chimera grinned. He then was heartily welcomed by the rest of the team on the ice. Sean Axel, Constantine Michev, Zach Zimmerman and Edwin Cay joined Gourry and Zelgadis in a huddle by the goalie net while the Russian man was still trying to be calmed.

"What are we going to do about those Russians?" Constantine asked.

"Yeah, we have ten minutes to score a goal, or else there's going to be a shootout," Sean added.

"Our goaltending is covered now," Gourry said in a very official voice and motioning over towards Zelgadis. "Now I know that it is tiring trying to keep up with them, but we just have to push ourselves."

"Leave the goaltending to me," Zelgadis interjected. Everyone looked at him as if he just suffered a closed-head injury.

"You are the goalie, that is what you do," Zach started.

"I mean: stay on the other side of the rink as much as you can," Zelgadis explained. "You lot have been on the ice near the whole time. I am fresh. Let me worry about the net and you guys stay on the one end..."

"So that we do not get tired as easily!" Gourry said, that little gerbil in his head finally running on his wheel. "Zelgadis! You are a genius!"

"Are you sure about that?" Edwin asked.

"Only occasional help will do," Zelgadis assured. "In fact, all I need is either you or Zach. Just score that goal."

Reluctantly, the team agreed with Zelgadis and went back to begin the power play. Referee Sunny dropped the puck and as the Russians got control, Zelgadis prepared for what would be the most tiring ten minutes of his life.

**80808080808080808**

"What in the hell are you doing!" Lina screeched. No matter how many times she switched her players, they all stayed far away from Zelgadis and their net. It was as if some invisible wall was preventing them from crossing their blue line. Two munites were left in play and the game was going positively nowhere.

_Damn it all_, she thought. _Zelgadis goes out on the ice and they all let him fend for himself. Stupid men._

**80808080808080808**

Zelgadis's reflexes were going insane. Shot after shot, rebound after rebound, everything that the Russians shot at him he blocked without fail. It was tiring, yet he knew that it would help the team out.

_Damn... it... _he thought. _This would be the time to help out guys... _He slammed the puck with his stick, hurling it down the ice.

_You better get it_, he thought. _Get it, or we are dead_.

**80808080808080808**

Igor Parov sped towards the puck and won control over it. Quickly, he passed it over to Sander River and then Sander took a moment to look around and decide his options. He could take it down to Alexandre Tierski or Lyman Van Dyne and let one of them worry about it. He could try to score himself, which would be anything short of suicide. Sam Penn was coming out to relive Gourry and would not be there for him it time. Sander decided his path in a fraction of a second. He bolted down the ice to pass the puck over to Lyman, keeping a stick's length from the Russian skaters.

"Lyman!" Alexandre cried out. The defenseman's gaze shot upwards and...

**80808080808080808**

"Van Dyne recives the puck from River, Van Dyne passes to Tierski, now to Penn..." AirJay said excitedly. He was so pumped up with adrenaline that he was standing up next to the embarrassed Naga. "Penn is trying to find help, passes to River, River to Tierski, Tierski to Parov..."

**80808080808080808**

Acting instinctively, Igor passed the puck away to Sam Penn. Sam, trying to keep the puck safe, made his way towards the goal. Two Russian players rushed at him from behind and forced him onto the ice. The puck was freed, but quickly retrieved by Alexandre. With a hope and a prayer, he drew back his stick and put all of his faith into the one shot, knowing that there was only that one shot and half a minuet left. The black puck connected with the stick, flying through the air and slowing time as it soared. The Russian goalie thrust his catcher glove up to snag the black blur... and there was much rejoicing. Alexandre threw his arms up into the air as his teammates surrounded him in a brotherly embrace. Lina, Frederick and Elena jumped up and down over by the bench. Amelia was so happy that she cried.

There was no joy in Russia, for their goalie was taken out.

Then play started, six on five, Russia hopeful to tie the game.

Oh, alas! The time ran out, thanks to the goalie with the skin of grey.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So Please Keep Away the Admins of DOOM**

_Amelia/Zelgadis_: Yeah, I like to make the audience's filthy mind kick in during these times. Assume the lemony goodness.

"_Damn, I was told that guys are supposed to be sleepy, not the other way around..._": I read an article about this in the newspaper. Apparently, right after mating rituals, men are much more likely to conk out and sleep than women are. Quite interesting. I would give credit if I still had the source, but I do not, so just remember that the information is still out there and not property of the Nehszriah.

_Russian speed_: Yes, Russians, so I've been told, are excellent when needing to sprint down the ice. I've seen it too.

_Avoidance of the Three-Letter "S" Word_- I really don't want to say it. Saying such a thing is icky. I'd rather imply and let the smarter readers figure it out for themselves.

_The Knight-In-Shining-Armor Thing_- Please don't kill me.

"_There was no joy in Russia, for their goalie was taken out_."- Parodied off of "Casey at the Bat", a famous poemy.


	10. Juu

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm Ginji! -grins- So my perverted mind clearly got through to my readers. (Yes AirJay, the lemony goodness happened... multiple times.) I love exercising the ability to write lemon, but it stays in the PG-13 rating because I never really say anything. -grins- I am told I have a gift. I believe them.

* * *

Juu

"Amelia my daughter, why have you been so happy the past few days?" Prince Phil asked Amelia. They were sitting on the park bench that Zelgadis and Amelia kept on coming back to in the little park in the Olympic Village.

"Hm?" Amelia blissfully replied. "Sorry Daddy, what was that?"

"You have been so happy lately. What was it that brought you out of that odd depression?" Prince Phil knew that he was just asking for trouble since he did not even know why she was sad to begin with when she had thought Zelgadis was cheating on her. This was actually the first time in a long while that Prince Phil had the opportunity to really sit down and talk with Amelia since Lina's coaching trial started back in September. Everything was so hectic that it was impossible to find downtime until that moment.

Wether it was downtime or not, Amelia's mind froze. Because of the long space between her and her father's lat talk and that moment, she had not even told her father she was dating Zelgadis, let alone dating at all.

"Daddy...?" she nervously asked. "You know Zelgadis, right?"

"Of course!" Prince Phil happily replied. "He is the best goalie that Seiryuun has seen in a long time! Why do you ask?"

"He is kind of the reason I was so sad... and am now happy," she half-whispered. Prince Phil looked at her, shell-shocked and confused.

"Then it really has been too long since we last talked. What have you not telling me my dear?"

"Well," Amelia started. She paused, took a deep breath and then let it all out very fast. "Even before the Olympics I was going out with Zelgadis. In fact, we started dating right after Lina-san became the head coach officially. Right before the hockey quarterfinal game against Finland, I had overheard a conversation Zelgadis had and misunderstood it. He explained and now everything is all better."

"Why did you not come to me Amelia?" Prince Phil asked lovingly.

"I... I don't know. Please don't be mad at me!"

"How could I become mad at you?" Prince Phil said. He hugged Amelia, feeling a bit unloved himself. He had wanted to be in his daughter's life as much as he could and now he realized that he was so far out of the loop that it would be difficult to get back in. Prince Phil could remember watching Zelgadis grow up right along with Amelia. It was odd, how even when Zelgadis was a young boy he seemed to always blush and be extra polite when Amelia was around. Back when he first met Zelgadis, Prince Phil knew that the small boy standing next to his daughter and Frederick Yerbinski was going to eventually become the one for Amelia. It was just a good thing that Prince Phil had studied Zelgadis, found out all about him as the boy grew up, otherwise he would feel threatened over his daughter's affection. Prince Phil just hugged his daughter thankfully, just glad at that moment for her to be safe and in his arms and that she was happily in love.

**80808080808080808**

"This is just so nerve-wracking!" Frederick panicked.

"Oh, shut up," Elena sighed. She and her jittery twin were watching their brother Harry in the snowboarding finals. It was exciting, especially since Gabriel and Ian were in the stands cheering as well. They were a few rows lower than Elena and Frederick and wanted to really back their sibling up since they had been knocked out of the curling competition by Great Britain.

"Why are we here?"

"Shut up Frederick."

"Shouldn't we be formulating plays, going over linework, studying our opponent's moves? We are playing the United States soon and..." Frederick said quickly. He was highly spastic and fidgety, causing Elena to grumble profusely.

"Can it before I clock you right across the face," she growled.

"Why have you been so grumpy?"

"I just am."

"Time of the month?"

Undistinguished grumbling from Elena.

"Is the miso ramen we had for lunch bothering you?"

More grumbling.

"Amelia and Zelgadis?"

In a swift movement, Elena slammed her fist right into her brother's knee and stormed off. She had been in a bit of an irritable mood lately and not a single person could figure out to why.

"Damn it," Frederick cursed as he nursed his sore knee. He was so attentive to his knee, that he did not even notice the woman go and sit down next to him in his sister's seat.

"Are you Frederick Yerbinski?" the woman asked. Frederick looked up to see a woman who appeared to be very tall, own an unusually large chest and holding a small white dog.

"Who wants to know?"

"Does it really matter?"

This was it. Frederick's heart skipped a few beats. A very pretty woman was there next to him, wanting to know who he was. The pain in his knee magically went away as he tried to suavely lead the woman over to the stairs and down to the ground to go behind the bleachers.

"So..." he said, trying to oppress his geek-like qualities. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to Zelgadis Graywords," the woman said, her interest in Frederick becoming non-existent. Frederick was crushed.

_Why Zelgadis?_ he thought. _He gets all the females. Why don't I ever get any?_

"What would you want to talk to him about?" he asked after sulking for a short moment.

"None of your business," the woman said, grabbing Frederick by the collar and lifting him threateningly into the air. "Now, where is he?"

"F-F-Follow me..." Frederick sputtered. This woman was fierce. It was almost a kind of ferocity he had experienced before. Well, he was bullied as a small child and the bullies still really stick around as he grew older. Once the woman dropped him, he shook it off and lead her through the Olympic Village and towards the building where the men from Seiryuun were staying.

"Will the princess from Seiryuun be there too?" the woman defensively asked before she entered the door to the building hall.

"No, this is the men's building," Frederick replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "Come on." He lead her up to the door to the room that he shared with Zelgadis, Gourry and Xellos, left the woman and her dog in the hall and disappeared into the room to find Zelgadis.

"Zelgadis! Are you in there?" he yelled, pounding on the door of the small bathroom. Sure enough, the chimera stuck his head out of the door, letting steam from his shower roll out into the main of the room.

"What?" he asked grumpily.

"There is some woman out in the hall to talk to you."

"I hate reporters."

"This one has nothing to do with underground chemicals underneath your apartment's street or hockey... at least I think..."

"What do you mean by 'I think'?"

"She's really hot!" Frederick said in a half a giggle. Zelgadis shook his head and closed the bathroom door. In about five seconds, he exited the bathroom, lacking a shirt but wearing pants and a towel around his neck. Frederick shoved his friend out into the hallway. "If you are not back in five minutes, I'm sending a search party who'll be headed by your girlfriend!" With that, he closed the door and left the highly confused Zelgadis and the pretty woman-stranger alone in the hall.

"Who are you?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously. The woman before him looked highly familiar, as if he were staring at a mirror of the past.

"Hmm... no wonder she picked you. These past few years have turned you into quite the looker..." the woman muttered out loud as she examined Zelgadis, stopping for quite a while on his bare chest. "It is a miracle that you are not taken by someone else."

"Who in the hell do you think you are?" Zelgadis asked angrily. Inside he was a bit scared too, yet tried his best to conceal it.

"I am surprised that you do not remember me. I do not think that you were that young when I left home," the woman chuckled.

"Left home...?" Zelgadis whispered. It took him about a fraction of a second to figure out who this mystery character was. "Garcia?"

"Do not call me by that name! I am called Naga now," she replied vainly. She gave a howling laugh and pet Kiko the dog forcefully.

Years ago, ten years earlier to be exact, Amelia's elder sister Garcia ran away from Seiryuun with her boyfriend, breaking Prince Phil and Amelia's hearts. The family had already been grieving due to the sudden death of Princess Sylvana and everyone that had been close to them were devastated. Zelgadis was fourteen when Garcia left and he remembered it all clearly. The look on Prince Phil's face when he burst into the room, tears running down his face and crying about how Garcia was gone. Carson Yerbinski, her classmate, was saying that it was just her being dramatic, wanting attention, and that she would come back within a week. Garcia never came back though. Amelia just kept on crying and crying and crying until there were no tears left in her eyes and would fall asleep while talking to Elena, Frederick, Gourry and himself. It was a very sad time for everyone connected with the royal family. There was even a reward put out for her safe return, yet they all had to stop the search once Garcia's eighteenth birthday came and went. Amelia's sadness and pain from the last ten years welled up inside Zelgadis and turned quickly into anger.

"Where in the hell have you been?" he yelled.

"Nowhere I can tell you."

"Do you realize how much your father and sister miss you!"

"Like I really could care."

Zelgadis did not even have to think about his next move. He went and curled up his fist and went to punch Naga, wanting her to hurt for what she had done to his Amelia. It was because of Naga. Amelia cried because of Naga! Without even dropping Kiko, who now appeared to be sleeping, Naga blocked the attack and took Zelgadis by the throat.

"Shut up," she sneered. "I've only come to do my job and leave."

"What job...?" Zelgadis gasped, trying to catch his breath in Naga's throat-death-grip-of-doom.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Threatening my little sister's lover, that's what," she laughed. "We have never had a brother and our father is not really all that much of a threat, so I decided to take over the job myself! Now, if you upset my sister, you are going to die in ways that you never even thought of."

"How did you...?"

"Know about you and Amelia?" Naga finished. "I am the great and powerful Naga and I know everything! You upset Amelia before and if you hurt her again..."

"You were the one who hurt her the first time," Zelgadis spat. "If you had not left, then she would be much happier that she already is now!"

"Life as a royal is not my thing," Naga said. "Amelia is more the diplomat and heir-to-the-throne material than I ever will be. Now I love my little sister with my very heart and soul and all I want is the best for her. Will you be the best?"

"As long as you put me down," Zelgadis coughed. With a slight scoff, Naga dropped the chimera and let him breathe again.

"Then you will do everything that will be in your power to make her happy?"

"Of course. I love her."

"Good," Naga said, feeling quite satisfied. She turned away to leave Zelgadis be, yet was stopped when she felt his hand touch her arm.

"Why don't you go and say hello to Amelia and Prince Phil," he said. "They would like to know that you are alive at least. They have been worried sick."

"Let them still think of me as missing," Naga replied solemnly. "It is better for them to not talk to me than to loose me all over again. I know it was hard for them the first time. A second would kill them both for sure." She then shook Zelgadis's hand loose and started to walk away again.

"One more thing," Zelgadis added as Naga reached the stairs. "I want to ask Amelia to marry me."

"Go ahead then. I approve."

"Would you come to the wedding in disguise at least?"

"Maybe. Only if I really feel like it."

"Thank you."

Zelgadis watched in silence as Naga disappeared by way of the staircase. When she had left, he went back into the room where Frederick was waiting impatiently.

"So?" Frederick asked slyly. "What did she want? Did she know you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes," Zelgadis replied with a smirk. He then rummaged through his suitcase for a clean shirt. "In fact, that is what the conversation was about. Amelia and me."

"What?" Frederick asked. He was confused. How did some random woman know about Zelgadis and Amelia going out and why did she talk to him about it? "Who was this woman?"

"She said her name was Naga."

"Naga?"

"Yup. That is what she said."

"Do we know this 'Naga' by any chance?"

"Why?"

"She seems familiar to me somehow."

"Familiar?"

"She threatened me and it was like she had threatened me before."

"You really are a nerd."

"What?"

"She had threatened you before."

Frederick was struck silent. He pondered his friends's words as Zelgadis got dressed in his black-and-green uniform from the Seiryuun team.

"Take a guess," Zelgadis grinned.

"I don't know."

"She's been gone for ten years."

"No way! Is it Garcia?"

"The one and only."

"Where is she going? Is she going to see Amelia and Prince Phil?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"She does not want them to know she was here. Garcia was just here to make sure that I respected Amelia and all that," Zelgadis said cooly. He then went and got right into Frederick's face, coming within centimeters of his face. "Now you will not tell anyone that she was here, right?"

"R-Right," Frederick answered, slightly uncomfortable. Smiling at his success, Zelgadis moved away and went over to the bathroom to go brush his teeth.

"That's good," he said as he put toothpaste on the toothbrush. "If Price Phil or Amelia ever found out, they would both go into hysterics."

"You're right," Frederick said sadly. "It was so bad when she left the first time. I'm not sure how it would be a second."

"Exactly," Zelgadis said, having brushed his teeth. He and Frederick then went out of the room, down the opposite flight of stairs that Naga took and headed over towards the ice hockey rink where in a few hours, they would experience the most exciting time of their lives to date.

**80808080808080808**

Naga quickly descended the flights of stairs until she got to the very bottom. With a hastened gait, she walked out of the building and over to a man that was sitting on a bench underneath a nearby tree.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Peachy," Naga replied, sounding slightly disgusted. "He wants to marry her."

"A wedding!" the man said excitedly, standing up brusquely. "I love weddings! Drinks all around!"

"We're only going if we can be unnoticed," Naga said monotonously. She started to walk away and the man followed.

"This is your only sister!" he protested.

"AirJay," Naga snapped. "I cannot have my father and sister loose me again. That would be too difficult."

"You don't seem like yourself today," AirJay said sheepishly. "Is all of this Big Sister stuff getting to your head?"

"It must be, because I want to beat myself up right now for being so strange," she said as they headed over towards the skeleton hill. "Now if you shut up, I need to watch an old classmate of ours tear up the slope. Want to join me?"

"Yes dear," AirJay said obediently. He followed Naga over to the stands and they stealthily watched Carson Yerbinski speed down the hill and grab Seiryuun's first gold medal, forcing Daniel to have come in second.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So Therefore I Am Legal (In A Writing Sense)**

_The United States_: There! You all have it! Seiryuun is going to play the United States of America in the Olympic hockey finals! -sighs- Well, I had to put my country in somewhere. Damn country. We are very rude when it comes to the medals, taking almost every one we can get our mitts on and barely leaving any for the rest of the world. It is a sad, cruel thing, particularly since I cheer multiple countries on.

"_...nothing to do with underground chemicals underneath your apartment's street..."_: This is a reference to the cruel Detroit news media, parking their trucks on my street corner, all because there are some chemicals underneath my street that really do not effect anyone. I hate the news.

_Naga Being Protective_: I got this idea from reading Gerao-A's fiction _Sylvia_, for this sort of thing happens somewhere in the fiction. Not saying exactly when. Read for yourself to find out. Also, this is what fathers and brothers are supposed to do, not elder sisters.

_The Zelgadis Fan-Service_: I would so want Zelgadis if he was not already claimed by Amelia. -cries-

"_A wedding! I love weddings! Drinks all around!"_: A Jack Sparrow quote from Pirates of the Caribbean... which is one of the best movies in the world if I do say so myself.

_Big Sister_: When I wrote this... I thought of Big Brother and how he and Lord Vader are watching me.


	11. Juuichi

Yayness! -dances- There was a section in the sports page of the newspaper about the Turin Olympics! -grins- I'm so excited! Olympics! -freaks out- Gerao, my email is just weird and thanks for the love from AirJay. I'm... touched. Yeah. That's the word I want. Touched... emotionally. Oh, I do not own Slayers. I cannot own Slayers, even if I tried. Keep dreaming folks.

* * *

Juu-ichi

"Lina?"

"Yeah?"

"I really like you."

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"Gourry?"

Hmm?"

"I really like you too."

It was dark. Not dark like Amelia and Zelgadis's little broom cupboard, but dark as in the twilight outside. Lina and Gourry were sitting by the players' entrance to a hockey rink. It was to be the same hockey rink that they would need to play their final Olympic game of the year against the United States of America. There was amazingly nobody else around as the twilight got dimmer and dimmer."Lina?" Gourry asked. "What are you going to do after the Olympics are over?"

"I'm not too sure," she replied. "Probably I'll go back to Manitoba. I know that my sister is going to want to see me. She is such a pain."

"You have a sister?"

"Sure I do. Her name's Luna and she's a huge pain in my rear. Didn't I ever tell you that?"

"No."

"Then I must be one of the worst younger sisters in the world."

"No you aren't."

"Do you have siblings?"

"No."

"Then you cannot say."

Gourry thought for a moment.

"Would you be going to Manitoba to visit or to stay?" he asked.

"Why would you ask that?"

"I kind of want to know how long we are going to be there."

"Gourry," Lina sighed. "Who ever said that you were going to go along too?"

"I want to be with you Lina," Gourry said, gently taking Lina's hand in his. "Is that alright with you?"

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do. I did say that I really like you," he answered.

Lina just could not reply. She sat there and let the tears form in her eyes. It touched her that Gourry spoke from his heart. Not many people could ever do such a thing. Gourry was not hollow like that. Well, he was a bit hollow in his brain cavity, but that was a completely different matter entirely and did not bother Lina too much. She buried her face into Gourry's shoulder and cried. It hurt for her to cry, since it was not a very Lina thing to do.

"Oh, thank you Gourry," she sniffled.

"I only thought that it would be expected," Gourry said. "I really like you."

"Really like or love?"

Gourry was taken aback by Lina's question. Love? Was it love he felt? He did feel the same kind of happiness with Lina as he did while on the ice playing hockey, yet he could not answer Lina. All he could do was look at her for quite a while.

That was when the unthinkably random occurred. Lina went and hugged Gourry, right before initiating a kiss. It scared Gourry at first, thinking it might be some sort of trap, yet discarded that idea after about half a second. He let the shock go and kissed her back. For a while, it was almost as if they were weightless. It was blissful, adrenaline-producing, serene...

"What in the world do you two think that you are doing?" a voice said. Lina and Gourry looked at the athletes' entrance to discover Zelgadis standing there, arms folded and a scolding look upon his face.

"You peeping tom!" Lina yelled as she stood up quickly and got in Zelgadis's face. She went to punch him, but the chimera easily dodged it and went and yanked Gourry by the hair so that he could hiss in his ear.

""At least I found a closet to retreat to before I started to put the moves on my woman," he angrily whispered. "What in the hell were you two thinking?"

"Well, she started it!" Gourry said defensively.

"Just get a closet or a room or some sort of secluded spot next time," Zelgadis moaned. "People can see you here. Do you really want people to watch you?"

"Nope," Gourry said, shaking his head. Lina did not say anything, for she was too disturbed by the fact that Zelgadis mentioned Amelia, a closet, moves and himself in the same sentence.

"Fine. Well, a reporter is looking for you both. He wants an interview or something like that," Zelgadis said right before he walked off.

"Great," Lina sighed after Zelgadis left. "We're getting love advice from _him_. What's possibly next?"

"The game!" Gourry replied happily. Lina's spirits went officially went from being annoyed by the goalie to being angered by her boyfriend.

**80808080808080808**

"...aaand welcome to the Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Championship Game!" AirJay screamed hurridly into his microphone. He was as ecstatic as ever, maybe even more due to the timely introduction of an energy drink that goes by the name "Bawls".

"Oh, shut up," Naga groaned. She had developed a headache from all of the threatening she had been doing a few hours before. It was satisfying bullying Frederick Yerbinski and Zelgadis Graywords again. In fact, she had really missed it...

"We are going to have an interesting game here today," AirJay said, clearly unfazed by Naga's comment. "Seiryuun, the team that came out of literally nowhere and obscurity, is about to lock horns with the United States of America's Dream Team, chock filled with powerful athletes straight from the NHL of Canada and the United States. All of the athletes we are going to watch here are professionals in some way, yet today is going to show who's country rears the better players..."

"Shut up."

"Naga!"

"Just shut up!"

"I'm just doing my job!"

"I think now would be good to cut to our correspondent in the Seiryuun locker room corridor, Scrik," Naga said, ready to slap AirJay across the face. "Scrik, you're on."

**80808080808080808**

"Thank you Naga," Scrik said into his respective microphone. An average, almost unassuming man, he stood with a very nervous Lina and Gourry and a collected Zelgadis. "Here with me is the coach of the Seiryuun Slayers, Lina Inverse, the captain and star center, Gourry Gabriev and the goalie Zelgadis Graywords. Coach Inverse, do you have any worries about going up against the superpower Dream Team members?" The foam-covered tip of his microphone flew in the direction of Lina's face, stopping a few inches before colliding with it.

"Well, to be honest," Lina said nervously. "I have had worries since I took the job of head coach four months ago. We have all worked through our troubles before and pretty much made wine out of water with how far we've all come."

"Great Coach Inverse," Scrik cut in. "Gourry, how has you teamwork improved with the past two games of the Olympics?"

"I don't know," Gourry replied. "I guess it improved. We have to make things up on the spot a whole lot, so yeah."

"O-Okay," Scrik sighed. "Zelgadis," he continued, "you have come back from what was a pretty nasty injury. Are you going into this game at one hundred percent?"

"Of course I am!" Zelgadis laughed mockingly. Lina and Zelgadis could not understand this behavior, being it was not like Zelgadis to be like that.

"Your performance in the last ten minutes of the semi-final against Russia was extraordinary. The medics did not even think that you could be on the ice yet you blocked so many shots on the goal that we lost count at around forty. Can you explain how you were able to do this?"

"I haven't the foggiest," Zelgadis said. "I just knew that everything counted and did not let my reflexes take a rest."

"Alright then," Scrik said into his microphone. "This is Scrik handing it back over to AirJay and Naga back in the skybox. Guys?"

**80808080808080808**

"Oh, we're back?" AirJay said once he realized that Scrik's voice was not coming out of the speaker anymore.

"Yeah, could you get off of me?" Naga moaned.

"Why?"

"Don't make me hurt you."

"Yes dear."

Turned out, the conversation at hand was just the outcome of AirJay accidently hitting his head on the ceiling light when he jumped up after being startled by Kiko. Kiko, for some unknown reason, forgot where he had fallen asleep and woke up only to see AirJay and Naga's feet. He barked and bit AirJay by mistake. AirJay jumped up, hit his forehead on the overhead lamp and fell on top of Naga. Sadly, none of this was caught on the radio, not even the "Get off of me" comment. Kiko did apologize to AirJay though and the pre-game grind continued as usual.

**80808080808080808**

The room was poorly lit and cold. Tension made the air thick with anticipation. Lina stood in the center of this room, surrounded by her athletes and coaching staff. Everyone's attention was upon her, diligently rapt on what she had to say.

"Today decides how we are going to be remembered men," she said in an animated fashion. "This is Seiryuun's debut at the Games and I know that she is already proud of us all. Yet, how will everyone else remember us? Will we be the ones who the United States demolished, or will we put up the damndest fight we can muster? Even if we do not win, we have to make sure that those Americans remember who in the Nine Hells we are. We have been shorthanded and disadvantaged before, yet we have survived through it all! Are we going to be second place wimps? No! We are going to be warriors! We are going to be Slayers! We are going to strive for that golden medal and even if we do not make it, the fall will be so loud and powerful that it will shake the world! So no matter what happens out there on that ice, remember that we are Olympians. Even if others say we are not, every single man in this room, as well as Coach Elena and myself, are Olympians at heart."

"'Olympians at heart'?" Xellos laughed. "What a ruddy load of touchy-feel-good crap! Where'd you ever come up with that bit?" He could not help himself and laughed all the way out the locker room door.

"Damn it all Metallium..." Lina growled, a tic mark forming on her clenched hand.

"Ah, forget him Coach," Josef Kiernov said merrily, waving his hand through the air. "He just wants to make you mad."

"Of course," Lina replied through clenched teeth. "Isn't it the job of everybody to get underneath my skin? Alright! Everyone, out onto the ice and warm up, now!"

The Slayers obeyed and went out to get their blood flowing. The United States had not come onto the ice to do their warm-up ritual yet, so the ice was empty.

"I hope everything goes smoothly for us," Elena said as she walked with Lina and Frederick down the hallway to the bench.

"I hope so too," Lina said.

"What's that noise?" Frederick asked. Lina and Elena went dead quiet and listened to what seemed to be the crowd outside in the rink.

"SEIRYUUN! SEIRYUUN! SEIRYUUN!" the crowd chanted. Lina, Elena and Frederick ran out to the bench to see what was going on. For all they knew, it could have been part of a cruel and taunting chant.

"Kom op Letbal mij hoor u iedereen!" Lyman Van Dyne yelled in Dutch as he circled the ice rink with his brother Frank and cousin Zach Zimmerman. (A.N.: See Parodies/References for my translations done online.)

"Luider iedereen!" Zach told the crowd.

"Voor de liefde van het spel verhuur, hoor mij u gil!" Frank taunted. Lina was amazed at what she saw in the stands. It was a sea of black and green, healthily speckled with bright orange. Only a small section of the stands shone in red, white and blue for the Americans, yet so much support was going behind the underdog Slayers that it was just about insane.

"Zach! Lyman! Frank! Get over here!" Lina yelled. She was only able to catch Lyman's attention, so he skated over to the bench. "What in the hell is going on?"

"We're rallying the crowd!" he said happily, as well as loudly.

"What were you speaking?" Frederick asked.

"Dutch," Lyman loudly answered. "There are so many Dutchmen in the crowd that it is amazing! They came here for us!"

"What is amazing is how into this you are getting!" Lina scolded. "Shouldn't you be warming up for the game!"

"What do you think I am doing?" Lyman cackled. "The crowd is more important than I am right now. They came here to have fun and I want to make sure that they do!" Laughing heartily, he sped off to get lost in the crowd's chanting once more.

"Oh, jeezum crowe," Lina sighed. It was going to be a stressful game as it was, but adding the energy and insanity of the Van Dyne brothers and Zimmerman's orange-clad brethren was just going to make it ten times worse.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own/Want To Point Out Therefore There Should Not Be Another Sacco and Vanzetti**

_Sacco and Vanzetti_: Murder-trial-thing. Long time ago. They were possibly innocent. They were put to death. Not many people would get that.

_USA Dream Team_: A really mean thing that USA's Olympic committee let happen. Bring back the college kids! They were the ones who humiliated the Reds in '80! Sorry. -bows- Uncalled-For-Anti-Commie-from-Cold-War-Era-Flashback-Moment there.

_Manitoba_: Canada owns this place, not me.

_Zelgadis's closet speech_: Yes, he was referring to the little broom cupboard incident. I seem to like having Zelgadis either get laid or want to be laid by Amelia in my fictions. I'm an evil fiction-ka.

_Scrik_: Also, not mine. Part of the (in)famous Gerao-A.

"_Olympians at heart_": You get my title now? That part right there was the whole driving point for that title. It sucks, thank you all.

_Lyman, Frank and Zach's Followers_: I am half Dutch. I know how awesome these people are. The House of Orange shall never fail! -heroic stance-

"_Kom op Letbal mij hoor u iedereen_": Dutch for "_Come on! Let me hear you all!_"

"_Luider iedereen_": Dutch for "_Louder everyone!_"

"_Voor de liefde van het spel verhuur, hoor mij u gil_": Dutch for "_For the love of the game, let me hear you scream!_"

"_jeezum crowe_": GollumRox rox my sox! Yes, reference to the almighty Forkie who I cannot find anymore. Poor Forkie.


	12. Juuni

I'm back! Yayness! So _Shadows of the Future _took up most of my imagination and I had to force myself to finish at least a new chapter for _Olympians At Heart_, for otherwise I'll loose my train of thought and the actual Turin Olympics would be upon us. That would be bad. This is a pre-Olympic celebration! I do not own Slayers. I wish I did own them, or Zelgadis at least.

* * *

Juu-ni

"I want a clean game, got that?" Referee Ramon warned. "Do you both got that?" A muffled grunt came out of both the USA center and Gourry. Warily, Referee Ramon dropped the puck and Gourry and the American center slammed into each other, fighting over the precious black puck. Sander River threw his body into the American center, freeing up the puck for Gourry and allowing him space to speed down the ice at breakneck speed.

"Watch out!" Gourry faintly heard Lina scream. Sure enough, he was slammed forcefully into the boards by one of the Americans. Gourry fell onto the ice for a split second, yet quickly got up. He had lost the puck and was determined to go and procure it once more.

The American however, did not want Gourry to get the puck. He had seen tapes of Gourry and his wicked slapshot and knew that it was a force to be reckoned with. He sped towards Zelgadis and tried to shoot at the goal, every intention of scoring. Gourry and defenseman Max Brothers though, did a highly spiffy maneuver that involved both men slamming into the puck carrier on opposite sides, making a sandwich out of the American. Ed Daiyo saw this as his chance and made a beeline for the puck, getting it and going towards the other side's goalie.

**80808080808080808**

"Why are we losing out there?" Lina yelled in the locker room during the first intermission. Every one of them had just pushed themselves so hard that no one was able to give her a reply. The American team had out-skated the Slayers and it was almost like a repeat of the game against Russia. "Well...! Can anyone answer me?"

"They're a bunch of dirty, rotten cheats," Vladimir Sarionov groaned. "Those damned zebras are not calling stuff!" What he was referring to was the referees not calling penalties on anyone else but Gourry. The only reason that they were even behind in the first place was because the referees were busy observing Gourry instead of watching the Americans run over Zelgadis and score a goal. The crowd from the Netherlands, Seiryuun and the various Seiryuun supporters were all making booing noises whenever Gourry was treated unfairly. Even though the referees did not mean to do the Slayers harm, they seemed to be quite good at making sure they suffered.

"Vlad, there is only two of them," Jules McInnon answered. "Those blokes are too busy dissecting Gourry's every move to be concerned about us."

"At least they don't watch me," Willy Jones cackled. He seemed to have developed a tripping fetish, constantly sending Americans to the ice so they fell flat on their faces.

"Just because it is beneficial to you does not mean that the rest of the team is at ease!" Lina retorted.

"Lina... I'm hungry," Gourry whined. Lina's own temper broke as she took the clipboard and slammed it down on Gourry's skull. "Ow! Lina! That hurt!"

"Damn jellyfish!" she screamed. "Is it possible for you to go for three minutes without complaining about your stomach?"

"...but I really am hungry!" Gourry whimpered. Lina beat him again with her clipboard and turned around to face the rest of the team. She blushed when she discovered that the whole locker room was staring at her and Gourry, nearly bursting with their contained laughter.

"Save it for after the game Coach," Nathaniel Cor laughed from his spot next to Frederick. "Then you can tie him up and hit him all you want." Now that comment would have been fine if Nathaniel had not place emphasis on the tying up part. Since he did say it in that manner which implied kinkiness, both Frederick and Sam Penn smacked him.

"Don't make me bench you Cor," Lina spat, making the laughter vanish. "This game is highly important and I think that everyone here really wants you to help out the team in our efforts. What we should be doing is preparing our strategy for taking down those damned Americans! Any ideas...? Anyone...?"

The locker room was dead silent. They, meaning the athletes, usually left the plan-concocting to Lina, Frederick or Elena... maybe Zelgadis. Never were they given the opportunity to give their input and now that they had the chance, every single one froze.

Everyone, that is, except for Xellos.

**80808080808080808**

Gourry skated around on the ice, staying clear of all the other players. It was all part of Xellos's plan of supposed genius. As the puck went down towards the American goal, he skated over to Zelgadis and glided behind the net.

"Coach Metallium must be nutters," Gourry said loudly. "Why can't I do anything?"

"The damned zebras target you," Zelgadis answered. "If you are away from the action, they will be forced to make the calls they are supposed to!"

"Then why don't I just sit on the bench?"

"That is something to take up with Coach Metallium," Zelgadis laughed.

"He creeps me out. I don't wanna talk to him," Gourry said with a whine. His ears then perked up, for Lina called him back to the bench. Skating over in a rushed manner, he was saddened by the fact that he could not really play hockey.

_If only there were a bench-clearing brawl,_ he thought.

**80808080808080808**

"Hello there folks, AirJay here again with play-by-play coverage of the Turin Ice Hockey Championship," AirJay said into the microphone up in the pressbox. "Here with me today is the lovely and beautiful Naga!" He looked over at his girlfriend and grinned as she raised her eyebrow conspicuously at his words.

"AirJay, since we are in intermission between the second and third periods, what do you think of the Seiryuun team now that they are still trailing by a point," Naga asked, trying to stay professional. Since the incident right before the game, the both of the announcers were warned about their on-air conduct and were going to be monitored closely, to AirJay's severe disdain.

"I think that they can come back," he replied. "Seiryuun at this moment is like the American team of 1980. They came out of nowhere, battled giants to their disadvantage, yet have still put up a fight. If they truly were out of their league, the score would be in the double digits favoring the United States. Besides, looking at all of the support Seiryuun is getting, it seems as if winning did not matter."

"I think that you might be right there," Naga said thoughtfully. "Although, odds are that this game is in the bag for the United States of America."

"Odds are not a very good indicator of the facts..." AirJay replied.

**80808080808080808**

"_... odds are never a hundred percent correct. That is why underdogs win and the favorites are humiliated."_

"_I was just saying..."_

"_Oh, I am sorry Naga my dear, but we have to go for a few moments. This is AirJay, here with Naga... and now for a word from our sponsors.._"

The radio flicked off as Lina turned the dial. She was all alone in the darkness. It was calming, that pitch blackness of the frozen hallway. It almost felt as if she were stiff in her grave six feet underground.

Seiryuun was still trailing by a point when the second intermission was called. The whole distressful situation was simply disheartening. Lina might as well have been dead. She could not keep up. Her team was failing, her assistants were failing, she was failing; as good as everyone was together, they were all failing. Lina felt her spirits hit rock bottom and tearful stress consumed her as she curled up upon the floor and cried.

"God just kill me," Lina whimpered. "If you exist or even if you are Allah or Buddha or Zeus or Krishna or something... just kill me and get it over with..."

Lina could not go any farther with cursing herself and instead choked on her words as tears streamed down her face. She laid there and cried, wanting to drown in her damned tears.

**80808080808080808**

"Where is Coach Inverse?" Alexandre Tierski asked Frederick. The whole rest of the team was assembled in the locker room, sans Lina and Xellos, who was out procuring some more potato chips for himself.

"I do not know," Frederick replied.

"Don't even think of asking me because I do not know either," Elena said, cutting off Alexandre before he could even ask her the question. Alexandre looked over at Gourry and Zelgadis, who each responded with a simple shake of the head.

"She's been gone for too long," Alexandre said.

"I agree," Zach Zimmerman added. The whole room was a chorus of agreement. Hardly anyone was able to keep from collapsing when they arrived from the ice. All of the men were frustrated and worn.

"Next time, let us not listen to anything that Coach Metallium says," Gourry moaned, the strain on him being the worst since it was mentally.

"I agree," Zelgadis chimed in. He was sick of listening to Gourry whine from behind the net every time he was out on the ice.

"What are we going to do?" Constantine Michev sighed.

"I do not know," Frederick replied with a heavy sigh. Elena looked over at her brother and gave him a hug, knowing how much both her and her sibling needed it. The whole room was silent with the exception of Elena's half-restrained sobs. The whole atmosphere was so depressing that Gourry got up and left with his stick and helmet in hand. He exited and went towards where everyone else assumed to be the entrance to the ice. Everyone was wrong.

**80808080808080808**

"Why...?" Lina sniffled. "Why must this happen? Everyone is counting on us. Wh..." Lina was barely able to speak. She was crying there on the floor of the dark, unused hallway for seven whole minutes already. It felt as if there was nothing that could release her from her morose condition.

"Lina...?" a voice called out softly.

"Gourry?" Lina coughed through tears.

"What are you doing here Lina?" Gourry asked. The hallway gained the noise of the fabric in his uniform and the padding covering his body as he carefully found Lina in the dark. He set his stick and helmet down and put his hands on her shoulders so that if it were lit in the corridor, they would be facing one another. "The team is worried about you."

"The team?" Lina wailed. "Screw the team! All I want is to die right here and now!"

"No Lina..."

"The game is as good as over, though we worked our damndest to get this far!"

"It is not over until the buzzer screams for the final time," Gourry said firmly, as if angry at Lina's words. He was angry. She should not have decided to give up like that. "Stop and think. We are still Olympians, not matter what the score is at the end of the game. Olympians at heart, remember...?"

"Wow, I'm being lectured about thinking from a jellyfish," Lina said sadly. She shook off Gourry's hands and tried to lay back down on the floor.

"Lina! Snap out of it!" Gourry scolded as he held Lina up so that she did not sink to the floor again.

Lina gave no answer.

"Stop it!"

Silence still.

"Please do not do this to me Lina," Gourry pleaded. Without a response, he went and did the only idea that his brain could produce with the little gerbil and his running wheel as brain power.

He kissed Lina.

It was not a very long kiss, nor was it deep, yet it still had the impact of a thousand words. After Gourry brought his face away, Lina embraced him in a desperate hug. She never wanted to leave that moment, for her spirits were uplifted and she could not have happier.

"Lina," Gourry said.

"What?"

"Let's go win that gold medal."

"You got it."

**80808080808080808**

"What is everyone doing just sitting around here for?" Lina asked jovially as she burst into the locker room. She actually frightened everyone there with her sudden entrance, making half the team and the Yerbinski siblings jump.

"Where have you been?" Zelgadis asked.

"None of your concern," Lina replied. She seemed to have an aura of positive energy around her that the rest of the team could just feel that their coach had changed since she disappeared at the beginning of the break.

"Are you alright...?" Frederick asked cautiously.

"I am perfectly fine!" Lina said triumphantly, stepping up on one of the benches. "Now, why does everyone look so depressed?"

"We are losing the game and don't have a snowball's chance in Hell to come back," Jaques Monreal stated.

"The center of Hell is a wasteland of ice, thank you," Lina said proudly. "We are the Seiryuun Slayers, are we not? We have to do our best to stick it to those Americans! Plenty of hockey games are own in the third period! Remember what I said at the beginning of the game! We are Olympians! We are not about a medal or winning, but about preforming at our best and making sure that our names are remembered! Let us go our there and be the best damn ice hockey team we can be!"

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own And Am Listing For I Want To Live**

The USA Team: Even though I am an American myself, I do not own this team, nor do I even know who is going to be on said team. I do have a rough idea though, since I am an NHL nutcase. Also, I do not think that our athletes will be that mean.

The Referees: Also called "zebras" for their black-and-white shirts. These two are Ramon and Sunny from Gerao-A and I don't think they would do that cruddy of a job in real life.

Everyone Being Upset: The Nehszriah has turned the Olympic Games into something as big as the Stanley Cup of the NHL.

Gourry's Brain Gerbil: Poor thing. I hope all this thinking Gourry is doing does not kill the poor thing.

The Hell Reference: Dante. Simple as that.


	13. Juusan

**WARNING: SECOND-TO-LAST CHAPTER OF OLYMPIANS AT HEART. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

So I went and discovered some reviews. Being happy, I thought everything would be alright if I read them. Original setting, interesting, blah, blah, blah. Much to my surprise, I got flamed on my style of Lina/Gourry and Amelia/Zelgadis in this fiction... big time. I would like to thank this random anonymous reviewer who was so bluntly honest that they put me into such a bad and depressed mood that I could barely write. Be glad I do not self-mutilate. For the record, I would like to state that I do not own Slayers or slit my wrists.

* * *

Juu-san

The puck hit the rigid surface of the ice, Gourry and the American center once again went head-to-head in frozen warfare and the crowd was loving every second of it. Cheers and jeers alike arose from the orange, black, red, white, blue and green mass. Mass pandemonium was engulfing all, for this was the third period: the final stretch of game time before the winner declared.

Willy Jones slammed into the man Gourry was struggling against for the puck and knocked him to the ground. Gourry instantly passed the ebony piece of rubber to Nathaniel Cor. The two men then shot down the ice together, charging straight for the American goalie. They were joined by Volker Ton as they attempted to plow through the American defense.

Everything was going according to plan.

**80808080808080808**

"Daddy," Amelia sighed. "Please get down off the table."

"I want a good view!" Prince Phil replied. He was sitting on a tabletop in their skybox suite and pressing his face against the glass like a kid outside a toy store.

"It is embarrassing Daddy," Amelia said unemotionally. She looked down at the ice to watch Zelgadis prevent a shot from becoming a goal. It brought a smile to her face. She too could feel the rush of the game as Ed Daiyo was slammed into the boards and Jean Biope went on a breakaway with the puck. Ice hockey was definitely her favorite sport. It was what introduced her to her best friends, her lover, even bringing her here to the Winter Olympics. With a chill in the air, a roar in the crowd and a breath of condensation, she was thankful for the very fact that she was there.

**80808080808080808**

"What a game this is turning into!" AirJay half squealed in excitement. The amount of adrenaline pumping through is body at that moment could have only been matched by a professional wrestling match.

"Calm yourself Dear," Naga warned.

"I can't help it!" AirJay said with absolute exhilaration. "Daiyo passes the puck to Biope, Biope to Penn... looks like Coach Inverse is going to do a line switch... Penn to Cay so that he can go to the bench... the Americans got the puck amongst the rotation of Seiryuun players... Axel and Michev loosen the puck and Brothers takes it down the ice... passes to Cay... Cay brings up his stick, shoots..."

**80808080808080808**

The buzzer system wailed ferociously, though very few in the arena heard it. Edwin Cay just scored Seiryuun's first goal of the game, tying the score at one. All of the Seiryuun players on the ice tackled Cay in their celebratory hugs. The game was tied. The crowd knew it, shouting wildly their adrenaline-driven screams. Lina was so happy that she nearly hugged Xellos, yet she caught herself just in time to be snatched up in an enormous bear hug from Elena.

"Alright! Alright!" Lina yelled once Elena let her go. "I need Cay and Brothers back on the bench to rest, now!"

Reluctantly, the two defensemen followed orders and the Van Dyne siblings took their places on the ice. Edwin Cay and Barry Jenkins were so pumped up that when they sat down on the bench, they could not keep still. They twitched and shook and rocked back and forth to keep their excitement from bursting.

_I just hope benching them does not make them loose their edge_, Lina thought to herself. Her concentration on the game was broken for a moment by the sight of someone on the other side of the rink with her exact flame-red hair and was smiling at Lina in a near mocking fashion.

_Luna...?_

**80808080808080808**

Jaques Monreal skated into the center face-off circle, opposite the American center. He wished that he was not the one to try to face this man, but that Gourry would come and save him. His body trembled in a mix of fear and excitement. Referee Ramon skated over so that he was between the two men as they both crouched down and readied their sticks.

"Remember man," the American smirked. "Whatever happens here, stays here."

"You said it," Jaques replied with a nervous laugh.

"Keep your stick on the ice."

"Same for you."

Time froze for Jaques as the puck dropped from the referee's hand onto the ice. Life became slow-motion as his muscles jerked in order to win the face-off. The American, who had nearly seemed friendly the second before, slammed into his body and forcefully knocked him to the ground.

_So this must be what Gourry feels like..._

Jaques's helmet collided with ice and his head rang with pain. Ignoring it, he immediately got up and chased after the American that stole the puck away. He wanted to score that winning goal. He knew the American wanted to score the winning goal as well. Jaques knew he could not allow that happen...

**80808080808080808**

Lina could not help to stare at the apparition of her sister that was looking at her over on the other side of the ice. Her clipboard dropped from her hand as she gazed in amazement.

_Luna is not supposed to be here,_ Lina thought. _She is supposed to be at home, in Manitoba. Why is she not in Manitoba with Ciepheid? If Luna is here, where is her fiancee Ciepheid? What in the hell is going on here?_

"Lina!" Elena yelled, smacking her on the shoulder. "Earth to Lina Inverse!"

"What?" Lina snapped angrily, coming out of her daze.

"Please pay attention to the game Lina!" Elena pleaded. "There is only five minutes left in the game!"

"Right then!" Lina shouted over the roar of the crowd. "Let us win this! Come on guys! Line change! Axel, Michev, Monreal! Get back on this bench! I want Windmill Trio, Gourry and Penn on the ice! Zach, get a move on and join your cousins out there!"

With lighting speed, Jaques Monreal, Sean Axel and Alexandre Michev bolted towards the bench and Gourry, Zach Zimmerman and Sam Penn gracefully hopped over the boards and onto the ice to join the Van Dyne brothers. This was going to be the lineup that Lina was going to depend on in order to score. Even though she had Zach Zimmerman out there as a right wing instead of in his usual defensive position, Lina knew that there was an odd sort of understanding between the six men out on the ice. Including Zelgadis, they all knew what each other was thinking as far as plays and tricks were concerned, and Lina was hoping and praying that they would get in a goal.

_That would show Luna_, she thought. _I can succeed and be the greatest coach ever! You warned me, but I am going to prove you wrong! I am not just your stupid little sister who constantly needs protecting! I will succeed! We will succeed!_

**80808080808080808**

"Gourry! Watch out!" Sam Penn screeched. Just in time, Gourry avoided a nasty bodycheck from one of the American athletes. The pressure was put upon him even more than ever before, now that there was a tie game and less than five minutes left. Every second that ticked away seemed like an eternity. Gourry had not felt this nervous since he was in his first high school tournament. He was sick to his stomach and wanted to throw up right there on the ice. He knew that he couldn't. It was the Olympics and he was supposed to be representing his country. Gourry knew that if he let his nerves get the best of him, it would not only be an embarrassment to the people of Seiryuun, but a really big mess on top of it all.

"Thanks Sam!" Gourry shouted out. He then went over and tried to assist Frank Van Dyne in releasing the puck from American control. They were successful and Lyman Van Dyne took it over to the American net and made a shot with all this strength. The goalie blocked it however, sending the rebound out into fair territory. From there, one of the Americans retrieved the puck and tried to skate over to Zelgadis in order to score. A quick wrist shot and the chimera blocked the near goal as well as the American goalie could. Cheers erupted from the stands as Zelgadis blocked the shot, as well as several rebounds. Seconds became minutes as the time ticked away until there was only about sixty seconds left.

...and that was when it all happened.

Gourry stole the puck away from the Americans and bolted down the ice at top speed. One of his opponents knocked him over and tried to commandeer the puck, yet the Van Dyne brothers made sure that did not happen. They sandwiched him between themselves and allowed their cousin Zach to reclaim the puck and continue down Gourry's path. He passed it over to Sam, who then passed it to Gourry as he skated into the American zone. From there, Gourry passed it on to Frank. Frank to Sam. Fifteen seconds left. Sam to Lyman. Lyman to Sam. Sam to Zach. Zach to Gourry. Five seconds. Gourry brings up his stick. Wood connects with rubber. A black blur flies through the air at mach speed. Three. Two. One...

**80808080808080808**

"THE GAME IS OVER!" AirJay yelled excitedly, punching the snot out of the air in front of him. "THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, YOU HEARD ME, THE GAME IS OVER! SEIRYUUN WINS IT WITH A LAST SECOND GOAL BY GOURRY GABRIEV! SEIRYUUN WINS THE GOLD MEDAL!" AirJay was doing a very happy dance in the radio broadcast booth. Kiko preformed a little doggy celebration dance as well. Air Jay and Kiko even danced together, AirJay bent down to hold Kiko's paws as they did what seemed very close to a jig. Only Naga did not dance. She just stared down at the celebration below on the ice and smiled a soft, un-Naga-like smile.

_Good job boys,_ she thought to herself. _You have really done your country proud._ _You deserve every bit of this glory. Zelgadis, I am glad that my sister has you. She deserves every second of the time the two of you have. Take care._

**80808080808080808**

The scene was sheer pandemonium. Helmets, gloves and sticks were strewn across the ice in pell-mell fashion. The entire Seiryuun team was on the ice and the fans would have been too if there were not the boards to block them. Girlfriends, wives, sisters, brothers and parents of the teammates were able to force their way onto the ice to congratulate their loved ones. As Zelgadis was congratulated by the Yerbinski twins, Amelia ran out onto the ice. As she rushed over to her friends and lover, she lost balance in her heeled shoes and fell flat on her rear end. Laughing merrily, Zelgadis glided over to her and helped her up. Once Amelia was upright again, she threw her arms around Zelgadis and kissed him as hard as she could. Gourry and Lina tried to kiss as well, but they were interrupted far to often to do so properly. First Xellos decided to part them, then Frederick and Elena, then that Scrik person wanting an interview again... so Lina and Gourry just decided that they would celebrate properly after the initial excitement was over.

"Please tell us Gourry, how does it feel to have scored the game-winning goal for the ice hockey gold medal in your country's Olympic debut?" Scrik asked, jamming the microphone into Gourry's face."

"Absolutely awesome!" Gourry said, near completely out of breath from the energy of everything going on around him. "I do not know if I ever thought I was going to be here, not even when I was told we were going to the Olympics, or even when we started the game earlier!"

"Coach Inverse, can you give us a comment?" Scrik asked. Lina just went right past Scrik and ran over towards a lone female figure standing there on the ice. It was her sister Luna.

"What are you doing here?" Lina asked.

"I wanted to see my little sister, why else?" Luna smiled.

"I thought you were in Manitoba."

"I was, until three days ago."

"Where is Ciepheid?"

"At home."

"He did not want to see his future sister-in-law as an Olympian then?"

"No, I just told him that he could not come. I wanted to see my sister by myself."

"I did it," Lina said with a devilish grin. "You said I couldn't do it, but I did. I taught them to be Olympians when you said I should have stayed in Manitoba with you. I proved you wrong."

"Good job little sister," Luna laughed. She looked over Lina's shoulder to see a rotund, old Olympics official walking over to them with a medal in his pudgy hands for Lina. Luna motioned for Lina to turn around and when she did, she was immediately greeted with the shiny disk.

"Congratulations Coach Inverse," the man said as he put the medal around her neck. Lina smiled, said thank you and then happily looked over at Gourry, who was standing on a platform that some men had brought out onto the ice for the captain of the winning team to stand on. The names of Seiryuun, Gabriev and Graywords echoed through the air in chants, as well as Van Dyne and Zimmerman and the other athletes. It made Lina so smug that she could barely contain herself.

"I'm proud of you Lina," Luna whispered in her sister's ear. Lina grinned a smile from ear to ear. This was sure to become the grandest day of her entire life.

* * *

**Parodies/References I Do Not Own So the Copyright Lawyers Should Just Leave Me Alone**

Luna: Please do not hurt me! I have never seen Luna before in my entire life, as of the posting of this chapter. I have no freakin' idea what the woman looks like, just the fact that she is Lina's elder sister and works for some guy named Ciepheid. Be sure to smack me if you feel the urge to. -laughs maniacally- I do not even know who Ciepheid is! SQUIRRELY IGNORANCE ABOUND! -laughs some more- Man, am I on something or coming down? X.x

The Suspenseful Last Goal: How'd I do? How'd I do? -jumps up and down- This got me out of depression! Huzzah!

Kiko and AirJay's Dance of Random Doom: Please insert nearest Shakira CD now.

The End of the Game: Is the end of ice hockey like this in the Olympics? Who's to say. I forgot. Forgive my squirrely ignorance. It runs rampant, as you have figured by my bit about Luna.


	14. Juuyon

The final chapter! Yayness! Huzzah! I AM DONE! -dances- I am so thrilled that this has finally wrapped up! Now I can work on Shadows of the Future and yet another Slayers/sports fiction. Wh00t! One problem: I keep on hearing the "Torino Games." It is in Turin. I guess I'll never understand Italian.

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Juu-yon

The Turin Olympics had come and gone. All of the athlete representatives had come home to a heroes' welcome upon their arrival at home. Not only did the Slayers win the gold medal, but Carson and Daniel Yerbinski won the gold and silver medals in skeleton, Harry Yerbinski placed fourth in the snowboarding competition and a bronze medal was won by the skier named Filia who had shared a room with Lina, Elena and Amelia at the Olympic Village. Now that it was closing in on the ides of March, Prince Phil decided to hold a party in honor of the success of all of the athletes, for even if they placed in their event or not, they were all "Olympians at heart," as Lina would say.

"I don't know why I have to wear a damn dress," Lina groaned as she examined herself in the mirror on the bedroom wall of her apartment. Her pale pink formal dress rocked and swayed with her every move. Her hair shimmered with glitter that found its way down to her shoulders and the makeup on her face. In fact, Gourry would not have known it was Lina unless he had seen her standing there with his own two eyes. He had even gotten ready for the party at Lina's apartment himself, having been ready to leave for over an hour already.

"Wow," he said, adjusting his purple formal suit nervously. "Is that really you there Lina? If I did not know any better, I would think that someone kidnaped you and replaced you with some sort of alien or spy."

"Yes it is me you jellyfish," Lina half-giggled half-sighed. She walked over to Gourry and playfully kissed him. They then locked up the apartment and left for the Royal Palace of Seiryuun. When they arrived at the Palace, everything was festively decorated for the grand celebration. All the Olympic athletes were there, as well as the coaches and assistants. Not to Lina's surprise, all of the Yerbinski siblings were able to get in, including young Jacob and even their parents Annalise and Bruce.

"Hey Lina!" Elena called out. Lina and Gourry saw Elena run over to them with Constantine Michev at her side. She had on a knee-length red dress and her mousy hair curled so that it bounced with every step.

"Hello there Elena, Constantine, how are you two?" Gourry replied.

"Great!" Constantine said, acknowledging both Lina and Gourry's presence with a nod of his blond head. He and Gourry then immediately started talking to one another intently, leaving the girls to talk.

"I noticed that there is no sign of press hounds wanting an inside story on the party," Lina observed. "Is this Phil's doing?"

"Yes," Elena said. "Amelia's dad is great at keeping the news media away when he holds parties like this..."

Lina knew what was coming next: small talk. It made her feel so awkward to just stand around and talk for the purpose of... talking. It made her feel like an old, chatty woman that really does nothing besides talk and gossip. Lina hoped she would never become like that. She and Gourry had just gotten back to Seiryuun from Luna's place in Manitoba only yesterday and found that her sister had become an expert in small talk. Luna had nearly talked Lina's ears right off her head.

"..and so Constantine and I were looking around the housing market and have been debating about maybe moving into a two-bedroom house over by where Darin Park is. That's the park where I met Zelgadis and everyone else on the team you know..."

"Wait a second," Lina interrupted, having caught just the last two sentences Elena had said. "You and Constantine...?"

"Yes," Elena said clearly. "Were you paying attention to even a single word I have said?"

"No," Lina admitted. She had not heard the part where Elena said that she and Constantine had become a serious couple, or that they were even contemplating marriage. Lina had been too busy trying to avoid conversation to even slightly care what Elena had said. She looked over to her left to see that Gourry and Constantine had disappeared into the crowd of their teammates. Their blond boyfriends were easy enough to pick out in the crowd, yet Lina and Elena both just decided to stay in their spots and fume at their temporary abandonment.

"Elena-chan! Lina-san!" Amelia's voice called out. Both girls turned to see Amelia rushing up to them in her powder blue gown and she even had a royal tiara gracing her brow.

"Hey there Amelia," Lina laughed. "I like the whole 'princess' look. You should try it more often." Amelia laughed mockingly, lightly hit Lina on the arm and pouted for a split second before remembering why she had come over to both of them in the first place.

"Have you two seen Zelgadis anywhere?" she asked.

"No, I just got here," Lina replied.

"I think I saw him over by the garden," Elena said kindly.

"Thanks Elena-chan!" Amelia said as she rushed off in the direction of the garden doors. Before she could get there however, Prince Phil got on the top of a table and started to shout.

"People and athletes of Seiryuun!" he announced proudly as he stepped in some mashed potatoes on the banquet. "I am proud to announce that we are going to go down in history as one of the quickest athletic turnarounds in all of the Olympics! We won four medals at the Turin Olympics and even so, it might have been a very good thing that we did not win any more than that. It is true that we are a great people, yet I would like everyone here to know that whether they placed, got a medal or got nothing at all, I, along with all of the citizens of Seiryuun, am proud to have you all as fellow countrymen. Your hard work, dedication, drive and spirit is something that you can use for the rest of your lives, as an athlete or as a normal citizen. What today's world needs is more people with such pure and concise motivation for the common good and the betterment of all..."

Amelia giggled softly so that her father could not hear her. Prince Phil's speech was amusing her greatly. So greatly in fact, that she did not even see Zelgadis come up behind her in his blue tuxedo. His movements were unseen by anyone, for all eyes were on Phil and his animated spiel of honor and glory.

Gently, Zelgadis took Amelia by the hand so that she looked up at him. He then motioned over to the nearby door and they both stealthily slipped out of the celebration, into the dead of the brisk night. They playfully ran and ran and did not stop until they got to the moonlight palace garden.

"Why did you take me here?" Amelia laughed softly. She sat down on one of the numerous benches and tried to catch her breath.

"Do you remember," Zelgadis said as he sat down next to Amelia, "when I had wanted to ask you something and Elena interrupted me on accident?"

"Yeah... I remember. What was it?"

"Amelia, I love you."

"You love me...?" Amelia asked warily. Zelgadis was starting to make her a slight bit nervous and put on the spot. "Shouldn't we love each other? I mean..."

"No Amelia," Zelgadis said, putting her forefinger on her lips for a second to quiet her. "Not a fake love that is no more powerful and lasting than a schoolyard crush, but real love. The kind that can tear down mountains and lasts a thousand lifetimes."

"Zelgadis..." the princess whispered. She did not have the chance to say anymore, for Zelgadis closed on a kiss. Amelia immediately him kissed back, happier than she could ever have been in her life.

After the shortest eternity in history, Zelgadis slowly began to pause. Amelia herself also held the romantic moment as he halted the kiss. Taking a deep breath and saying a short prayer, Zelgadis reached into his coat pocket and brought something out, carefully concealed in his hand.

"Amelia," he started, placing a small box in her had. She looked at the box with intrigue. Opening the small box, she found a diamond ring.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, tears forming in her face. Without thinking, she threw herself at Zelgadis and embraced him tightly.

"Amelia," Zelgadis said as he slightly laughed.

"What is it...?" Amelia giggled back.

"Will you... will you marry me?"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis with wide eyes.

"Marry you?"

"Yes. Vows, church, the whole nine yards. I'll do it for you Amelia. Do you accept?"

Amelia barely knew what to say. She and Zelgadis had been dating for less then a year. Yet, she knew she loved him. His injury at Turin, the little broom cupboard, the fact that they were seated in the romantically moonlight garden, everything flashed before her in an overwhelming flood of memories. Memories that they shared.

"Zelgadis..." Amelia cried. "I..."

**80808080808080808**

"I do," Amelia said in response to the man standing next to her and Zelgadis. If it was not for the fact he was the priest and they were in a church, she would not have said anything at all. The only thing that mattered was the fact that Zelgadis was standing there in front of her. She looked up into his eyes and again it was quite difficult to remember where they both were again.

"This is it," Zelgadis whispered through a smile. He tried his best to not disturb the priest's words. He was uncomfortable standing there in his blue-lavender suit, but imagined that Amelia's snow-white dress was even more annoying to wear.

The priest stopped his words, signaling Zelgadis to recite his line.

"I do," Zelgadis said, barely paying attention to anything besides Amelia.

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

So, Zelgadis did happily kiss his bride and everyone else in the church clapped and some even cheered him on. Everyone was there; Gourry, Lina, the Yerbinski family, Prince Phil (who was bawling like a baby), the rest of the Seiryuun Slayers, even two mysterious figures in the very back of the church. The whole church, no, the whole country was happy and celebrated the marriage of the princess and her love. Gourry and Lina smiled at each other as Zelgadis and Amelia walked by them towards the aisle, knowing that it would be their place on that altar in autumn.

In the months and eventual years that followed, there was general happiness throughout the first Olympic team for Seiryuun. Lina and Gourry moved to Manitoba when they married, Gourry having been drafted into the NHL. He became an instant star playing center and Lina was content being head coach of what was soon to be their sons' Bantam teams. Zelgadis was given many an offer to play for several different teams in the NHL as well, yet he declined them all to stay home in Seiryuun with Amelia and start a family. Everyone else ended up going their own separate ways as well, the ice hockey team coming together once more for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The exact team, four years older, demolished the opposition as the favorites, instead of the statistical underdog. Life was good and after a second gold medal, the team disbanded to make way for a new generation of kids from Seiryuun to make their names know worldwide.

No matter what kind of physical distance was put between the Seiryuun Slayers, they remained close friends. The guys would find excuses to get together and have reunions, just to see one another again. Their wives would gripe and complain, yet would come along anyways. It was always at the back of their minds, that those men would never loose the bond that their very first Olympic experience brought.

Lina, Amelia and Elena, in particular, would together laugh at Gourry, Zelgadis and Constantine whenever they made fools of themselves, whether the men were being men or playing with the children. Those five months of hard work, training and praying had paid off, for everyone was, in the end, truly Olympians at heart.

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**Parodies/References I Do Not Own and I Am Glad I Can Stop Disclaiming and Junk Like That**

Filia: Yeah, she was in the plot. If you read, it would not have come as a huge surprise. -grins-

Darin Park: Yes, that's BOBBY DARIN, thank you very much. I love Big Band music from the 40s and 50s and I am proud of it. -plays Mack the Knife and grins-

Elena and Constantine: Yes, I gave Zelgadis's stalker/past flame a fiancee. She seemed so heartbroken and then oddly suicidal-happy and I just could not leave her that way. It made me feel better about her character in general.

The Wedding: I hate writing what actually goes on and what the priest says. Also, shut up about Zelgadis being mushy and crap like that. I know that it is not in his usual character, but please deal with me.

The Ending: Feh... I couldn't really think of anything else other than: sucky synopsis of their future. Oh, and Vancouver will host the 2010 Games. My source (ESPN Sports Almanac 2005) say so.

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**Reviewer Thanks (Record Amount of Individual Reviewers (10) By the Way)**

Gerao-A: You guys are always there. Without you seven, including Kiko and Scrik, this fic would have never come out the way it did.

Maddy02: Thanks for giving me a shot.

Motokonobaka: Thanks for telling me to keep going.

Joe Crazy: Thanks for showing that not everyone reads the author's notes.

Galera: Thank you for the random comments.

Shadow Silver Fang: We are Dutch brethren. All hail the House of Orange! Yeah! -punches air triumphantly- Guess what... I was twelve during the Salt Lake City Olympics too. I also have my relatives coming over to my house soon. Prepare for Dutch-lady smell! -laughs-

Katherine: Thank you for the random comments you made as well.

Maurice A. Nigma: Thanks for noticing all about Generation-A and stuff like that. It makes me happy that you think my idea was original.

Catgirl the Crazy: I thank you and the tap-dancing beavers for the spiffy Luna info. I did not know that person was Luna. Curse my newb-ness! It won't go away!

The Gandhara: Thanks for the positive notes and then letting me fall victim to depression and writer's block. I truly needed that. Your constructive criticism is to be used. I thank you for being honest with me.

EVERYONE WHO READ YET DID NOT LEAVE REVIEWS: Shame. You should review. I love you all anyways though. My stuff is read and that is all that matters in the end.

**NEXT NEHSZRIAH SPORTS-BASED SLAYERS FANFICTION:_ GUTS, GLORY AND GLOVE OIL._**

**INITIAL POSTING DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED.**


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